By Simbarashe Muparaganda
Bulawayo, (New Ziana) — Government has released US$2.3 million to kick-start work at Cowdray Park Treatment Works, where water from the Gwayi-Shangani project is expected to be treated before being supplied to Bulawayo by 2029.
In an interview on the sidelines of a tour of the facility by government officials on Thursday, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) Water Quality Manager, Thulani Sibanda said the first funding tranche would accelerate work at the site, including preparations for resident engineers.
“We have received the first tranche of US$2.3 million for this project, and this is going to accelerate all the works that are supposed to be done here at the site,” he explained.
He said ZINWA is expecting the facility to receive water from the project by the 2029 season, describing the development as a major step towards addressing Bulawayo’s long-running water shortages.
Bulawayo has faced recurring water supply problems, worsened by drought and its reliance on a limited number of supply dams.
Water rationing has been among the measures used to manage shortages.
The Gwayi-Shangani Dam and pipeline are part of the government’s long-term plan to augment the city’s water supply.
Sibanda described the Gwayi-Shangani scheme as a long-awaited national project that was now moving towards completion.
“We are so excited that this project is now coming to fruition. This project is expected to solve the water challenges that have been bedevilling the city of Bulawayo for a very long time,” said Sibanda.
The Cowdray Park treatment plant forms a key part of the project’s delivery infrastructure where water will be conveyed from the dam to the city and treated before it can be distributed to residents.
Government has also identified the treatment works and related conveyancing infrastructure as necessary components of its wider water development programme.
At the site, Zinwa is setting up accommodation for resident engineers as work gathers pace.
Sibanda said the funding would help advance the works needed to prepare the plant to receive water, with the project offering a long-term intervention for a city that has struggled with water shortages for decades.
“This project is expected to solve the water challenges that have been bedevilling the city of Bulawayo for a very long time,” he said.
Government is considering using Gwayi-Shangani Dam as one of the anchor projects in a broader infrastructure bond aimed at mobilising private-sector capital for water, transport and other strategic infrastructure.
The proposed funding model could open a new avenue for financing the Gwayi-Shangani project while linking the dam to the wider economic transformation of Matabeleland through water security, irrigation development and industrialisation.
New Ziana
