Abstract Eight 2008

GLOBAL

DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

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Volume Five Winter 2007-Spring 2008 Numbers 1-2.

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WATER ALLOCATION CAPACITY AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANNING IN RUWA

E. Svotwa V. Mashavira

O I. Manyanhaire Ruwa Local Board

Department of Agricultural Engineering Rimuka, Kadoma

Chinhoyi University of Technology Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

P. Chibisa E. Makaya

Department of Geography Department of

and Environmental Studies, Environmental Science

Zimbabwe Open University Chinhoyi University of Technology

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe

Published Online: February 10, 2017

ABSTRACT

A study was carried out in Ruwa, Zimbabwe to assess the town’s water allocation capacity and drought contingency measures. Structured questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from 60 residents and selected key respondents. The results showed that Ruwa, a dormitory town, did not have an independent water supply system and was linked to the City of Harare water supply system. Water storage facilities at Ruwa consisted of a 2,000 cubic meters (m3) reinforced concrete ground reservoir and an 1800 m3 braithwaithe tank on a 12-meter high stand. Some 16.6 percent of the residents (n=60) had unprotected, illegal wells dug on their stands to supplement water during needy times. Ruwa's Local Board had a total of five boreholes to supplement the piped water system within the town. Water supply rate by the Board has been increasing from 8,671 cubic meters in 1987 to a peak of 797,216 cubic meters in 1998. Drought contingency measures in the town included sinking of shallow wells, pressure reduction, restriction of use of hosepipes, and water rationing. The Board had to increase the number of boreholes and install an independent water supply as drought contingency measures. It is recommended that the council should employ qualified personnel in the works department, who should put in place water consumption monitoring measures and improve on communication with residence in order to reduce confrontations.