Source: The Herald
Date: 19 December
Author:Anon
THE Bulawayo City Council and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority are embroiled in a bitter exchange of words after the latter allegedly released water from two Umguza dams resulting in the loss of fish worth millions of dollars. According to a monthly report of the local authority's Environmental Management and Engineering Services Committee for November, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority employees allegedly drained the water to cater for farmers downstream.
"A report was received from Mguza Nature Reserve indicating that all the water had been drained from both Upper Umguza and Lower Umguza. "When rangers arrived locals had collected all the fish and all forms of aquatic life had been totally destroyed, People were seen carrying 50 kg bags". Apart from the destruction of aquatic life, no consideration was given to leave some water for game," the committee said.
The committee said that some of the fish had been imported, including the bass and carp species. "Revenue from fishing on council servitude is no more although the council had stocked the dams with fish that included the bass and carp which were exotic species," the committee noted.
Before the rains started falling early this month, the council had resorted to resuscitating a borehole in the area to provide water for wild animals. Bowsers were also used to ferry water to the Mguza Nature Reserve. The council's Director of Housing and Community Services, Mr Isaiah Magagula, told the committees that council rangers reported that 15 people found on the scene collecting fish were all Zinwa officials. He said that Zinwa was informed of council's intention to use the dams. The water authority owns the two dams. The committee resolved that "the office of the Executive Mayor, (Mr Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube) should contact and express council's concern over the action taken by the water authority to drain all the water from the Mguza dams destroying aquatic life which council had invested in." Efforts to get a comment from the Zinwa catchment manager, Mr Matson Chidakwa were fruitless. Zinwa recently announced plans to build three dams namely Mid-Umguza, Lukwe and Cowdray Park to solve water shortages in the farming area of Umguza.