Chiredzi mulls 80km Tokwe-Mukosi pipeline

CHIREDZI Town Council is mulling construction of an 80km-pipeline to draw water from the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam in southern Chivi as a long-term solution to recurrent water problems that have blighted the sugarcane growing town over the past decade.

The town currently draws its water from canals that supply water to sugarcane plantations at Hippo Valley Estates from Mutirikwe River.

Chiredzi’s population has soared to an estimated 50 000 people with council now in the process of upgrading water treatment works from the current 10 mega-litres per day to 15 mega-litres.

Council secretary, Mr Charles Muchatukwa said Chiredzi was considering building a multi-million dollar pipeline to tap water from Tokwe-Mukosi Dam and bring a permanent solution to chronic water shortages.

He pointed out that the on-going upgrading exercise would guarantee sufficient water supplies for the sugarcane growing town until such a time new suburbs were opened.

‘’We are upgrading our water treatment capacity from 10 to 15 megalitres and we are satisfied that once that is done, the whole of Chiredzi will have adequate water,’’ he said.

‘’The major challenge that we are facing now is loss of water through leakages during conveyencing to consumers and if we reduce that loss, we will be in a far much better situation.’’

Mr Muchatukwa said his council was taking a phased approach to upgrade the water pumping and treatment capacity in the town.

‘’We have already conducted feasibility studies on the building of a pipeline that will draw water from Tokwe-Mukosi and discovered that the line will only be 80km long and that is something that we will surely pursue to permanently end water problems in Chiredzi town,’’ he said.

He dismissed assertions that Chiredzi town was over-reliant on sugar producer Tongaat Hulett for its water infrastructure saying his council owned its own water treatment and storage facilities.

‘’We are half way in our water works upgrading exercise and we only get assistance from Tongaat in terms of water treatment and they charge us at cost, which we think is a good thing as it is reflective of the success story of good partnership between the local authority and the private sector. Chiredzi is responsible for distributing the water,’’ said Mr Muchatukwa.

Mr Muchatukwa said his council was saving millions of dollars annually by partnering Tongaat in the treatment of its water since the company was treating Chiredzi water and charging.

The Lowveld sugar producer had also donated 700 metres of water conveyencing pipes to replace obsolete pipes that were causing runaway leakage of treated water.