THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has encouraged residents to
simultaneously flush their toilets twice a day in the morning (6-6.30AM) and
evening (8-8.30PM) as a way of cleaning its sewer and reticulation system to
curb pipe bursts.
Addressing a water crisis meeting at the Small City Hall
yesterday, BCC director of engineering services Engineer Simela Dube said
council would soon start lobbying for the “big flush” as it is popularly known.
In an interview on the sidelines of the meeting, which was
organised by Habakkuk Trust, Eng Dube said: “Because of limited water
availability we don’t have sufficient sewage flows in the system to clean
itself. The sewage system is designed in such a manner that because of the peak
flows in the morning, when residents are flushing or bathing, it discharges and
cleans itself.
“But because of water shedding, people are now using less
and less water, some are not even flushing when they are not doing what we call
number two”.
He said with co-operation from residents, the BCC is
confident that the “big flush” will work.
“We are saying if everyone flushed their toilets whenever
they had water between 6 and 6:30 in the morning, that would create that
cleansing volume to clean the system. Similarly, if we do the same thing
between 8 and 8:30 in the evening, it would provide that cleaning volume for
the sewer system,” said Eng Dube.
“So, this is what we are encouraging our consumers to
practice every other time when water is restored in their areas. It does work
if we all co-operate. We need the cleansing to try and minimise blockages in
the system”.
The “big flush” comes as council is implementing a weekly
72-hour water shedding exercise affecting all suburbs.
The local authority first introduced the “big flush” in
2007 and used it again in 2012 at the height of water problems.
Recently, Environmental Management Agency Bulawayo
provincial manager Mr Descent Ndlovu revealed that water shedding was
contributing to sewer pipe bursts.
He encouraged the local authority to swiftly respond to
blockage scenarios to avert outbreaks of diseases.
Meanwhile, Eng Dube has lobbied stakeholders to mobilise
resources to assist council to come up with a lasting solution to the city’s
water situation.
Habakkuk Trust chief executive officer Mr Dumisani Nkomo
pledged that his organisation would continue its advocacy work for the
development of Bulawayo.
Mr Nkomo said through working together instead of finger
pointing, Bulawayo would achieve its goals. Chronicle
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