Glassblock Dam identified as urgent solution to Byo’s water shortages

Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has renewed calls for the urgent construction of the long-delayed Glassblock (Bopoma) Dam, describing it as the most practical and cost-effective solution to end the city’s chronic water shortages.

Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, once regarded as the nation’s industrial powerhouse, is now battling one of its worst water crises in decades. Residents in several suburbs receive water only twice or thrice a week, while others, especially those in high-lying areas, have gone for months without running water. Many now depend on boreholes, wells and Jojo tanks to survive.

A new technical report titled Glassblock/Bopoma Dam and Groundwater: Feasibility and Strategic Importance, prepared for the Bulawayo City Council, reveals the scale of the crisis. It warns that Bulawayo faces a “permanent water deficit by 2040” unless decisive action is taken to expand supply.

In his foreword to the report, Cllr Coltart said the city “stands at a critical juncture in its quest for water security,” noting that the shortages are now undermining Bulawayo’s growth and resilience.

“For decades, the city has endured chronic shortages, severe rationing, and the erosion of confidence in its ability to sustain both population growth and economic activity,” he said. “Water scarcity in Bulawayo is not simply an environmental challenge. It is a structural constraint on the city’s growth, investment potential, and long-term viability.”

The report identifies the proposed Glassblock/Bopoma Dam as the quickest and most affordable intervention to stabilise the city’s supply. According to its findings, the dam could deliver 70 megalitres (ML) of water per day within three years, at a cost of US$0.90 per cubic metre.

“The Glassblock/Bopoma Dam represents the most practical, least-cost, and fastest-to-implement solution to the city’s current water crisis,” Coltart said. “It offers a realistic opportunity to stabilise supply while other large-scale projects remain years away.”

By contrast, the long-term Gwayi-Shangani project will take at least 10 years to complete and deliver water at a cost of US$2.47 per cubic metre, nearly three times more expensive than the Glassblock supply.

The report recommends that both construction phases of the Glassblock project proceed simultaneously to ensure immediate impact.

“Phase One will involve the building of the dam and a water supply pipeline from Glassblock to the Ncema pump station,” the report explained. “Phase Two will upgrade the Ncema Water Treatment Works, improve pumping capacity to the Tuli Reservoir, and double the reservoir’s holding capacity from 45 to 90 megalitres. Both phases must proceed at the same time so that when the dam fills, Bulawayo’s residents and industries can immediately benefit.”

The report also points to widespread environmental degradation as a major contributor to the crisis. It warns that illegal riverbed mining has destroyed key catchment areas, transforming a temporary shortage into a structural one. “Illegal riverbed mining has turned what should be a temporary shortage into a structural crisis. The destruction of catchment areas is undoing decades of investment in water infrastructure,” the report states.

Several of the city’s main dams, including Umzingwane, Upper Ncema and Inyankuni, have suffered severe siltation. The report notes that Inyankuni now receives only six percent of its intended inflows, while Umzingwane was decommissioned in 2023 after water levels dropped to dead storage.

Although government outlawed alluvial gold mining along rivers through Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024, enforcement has been weak, and illegal activities continue to threaten Bulawayo’s already fragile water sources.

The city’s aquifers, particularly Nyamandhlovu and Epping Forest, also face serious strain. Originally designed to provide 18 ML per day, they currently yield around 10 ML due to vandalism, poor maintenance and over-extraction. “Groundwater resources play an important supplementary role, but they are neither sufficient nor sustainable on their own,” the report warns. “Without urgent investment, rehabilitation, and protection of aquifer infrastructure, these resources will remain vulnerable to vandalism, over-extraction, and eventual depletion.”

Bulawayo’s water insecurity has stunted its growth and investment potential. The city’s population has stagnated at around 655,000 for over a decade, a situation the report attributes to “suppressed demand driven by water insecurity.” The report estimates the city’s current minimum supply at 155 ML per day, against a real demand of more than 260 ML.

Coltart said failing to act decisively would have far-reaching consequences. “The completion of Glassblock Dam and its pipeline is not a luxury, it is an existential necessity,” he said. “Without it, Bulawayo risks not only worsening shortages but also the erosion of its role as a dynamic urban and economic centre in Zimbabwe.”

The report concludes that only major infrastructure investments can prevent Bulawayo from sliding into a permanent state of crisis. “An integrated water security plan for Bulawayo is essential, deliver Glassblock/Bopoma Dam urgently, secure and rehabilitate aquifers, and advance the Gwayi-Shangani project for the future,” it states. “Without these measures, Bulawayo risks deepening shortages, public health crises, and constrained economic development.”