Garwe’s ‘Dams, Not Rivers’ Remark Sparks Outcry in Parliament Over Bulawayo Water Security

By Staff Reporter
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe has drawn sharp reactions in Parliament after declaring that Zimbabwe’s bulk water sources are dams, not rivers, as MPs raised concerns over riverbank mining and the protection of catchment areas supplying the country’s reservoirs.

The remarks came during a National Assembly question-and-answer session on Wednesday, following concerns raised by Bulawayo North MP Minenhle Gumede over government measures to guarantee sustainable water supplies amid recurrent droughts, ageing infrastructure and threats to water catchment areas.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, responding on behalf of the Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Minister, said Zimbabwe had sufficient water bodies but acknowledged that infrastructure remained a major challenge.

He said government was pursuing irrigation development, construction of additional water bodies and borehole drilling to strengthen water security, particularly in rural communities.

Gumede subsequently sought clarification on measures to secure Bulawayo’s water supply, asking how authorities were balancing immediate interventions with long-term projects such as the Gwayi-Shangani Dam.

Ziyambi maintained that Bulawayo had sufficient raw water, arguing that the major challenge lay in conveying and distributing treated water to consumers.

Garwe, responding to the infrastructure concerns, said government had embarked on a nationwide water reticulation rehabilitation programme aimed at reducing losses caused by ageing and leaking pipes.

He cited Harare, where authorities had begun replacing old pipes, including asbestos pipes, after determining that approximately 60 percent of processed water was being lost through non-revenue water.

“We have started working in Chinhoyi as we speak and hopefully by the end of this month, we will have finished rehabilitating Chinhoyi as well. From there, we are going to be moving to Bulawayo and then it can spread to all other urban areas,” Garwe said.

However, Emakhandeni-Luveve MP Discent Collins Bajila shifted the debate to the environmental threats facing water sources, particularly mining activities along riverbanks and riverbeds.

Bajila questioned what government was doing to protect the rivers and catchment areas that feed dams, warning that mining activities, coupled with climate change, could further threaten water availability.

“There are challenges around the sources of bulk water and the infrastructure of that bulk water, around the issues of riverbank mining and what government has put in place to make sure that these sources of water, these rivers that get the water to our dams are properly safeguarded,” he said.

He warned that climate change could result in reduced inflows into dams, making the protection of water catchments increasingly important.

Responding, Garwe insisted that rivers were not the country’s recognised bulk water sources.

“Our sources of bulk water are not rivers,” he said. “Whilst I appreciate the issues that have been raised by the Member of Parliament, our sources of bulk water are not rivers. Our sources of bulk water are dams.”

The statement prompted audible interjections from MPs, forcing the Temporary Speaker to call for order before the minister continued.

Garwe maintained that government did not have situations where mining was taking place in areas affecting the water bodies used as bulk water sources.

He nevertheless acknowledged the seriousness of riverbed mining, saying government was addressing the issue through a Cabinet committee chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development.

The committee includes the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, among other government departments.

Garwe said the Ministry of Mines had been directed to ban riverbed mining going forward.

Despite the assurances, the parliamentary exchange left questions about how government intends to protect the wider ecosystems that sustain the country’s dams.

Although dams store water for municipal, industrial and agricultural use, their long-term sustainability depends on inflows from rivers, streams, groundwater and rainfall across their catchment areas.

Mining activities that damage riverbeds, disturb surrounding land or increase sediment entering waterways can threaten the quality and availability of water reaching reservoirs. Protecting dams therefore also requires effective management of the catchment areas that feed them.

The concerns are particularly significant for Bulawayo, which has endured prolonged water shortages while awaiting the completion of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam project, expected to provide a long-term boost to the city’s water supply.

Ziyambi also expressed confidence in the availability of raw water for Bulawayo, pointing to the Gwayi-Shangani aquifer area as a potential source of additional supplies through boreholes.

However, the debate highlighted the need for government to address both water distribution infrastructure and the environmental conditions that determine how much water reaches reservoirs in the first place.

With droughts and increasingly unpredictable rainfall placing pressure on Zimbabwe’s water resources, MPs’ concerns have put renewed focus on whether existing measures are sufficient to protect the rivers, catchments and reservoirs on which urban centres depend.