A Drying City’s Climate Crisis With dams drying up and rainfall patterns disrupted by climate change, residents are grappling with a worsening water crisis that exposes the city’s fragile infrastructure and deep inequalities. by FAIRNESS MOYANA Twenty nine-year-old Sibusisiwe Dlomo carefully straps her baby on her back, lifts a 20-litre bucket onto her head, and holds another container with her right hand. Having woken up at 5 a.m. to secure a spot in a long queue for water, Dlomo finally makes her way home three hours later with her precious haul. In New Magwegwe, her home, a high-density suburb; water shortages have become a routine. “We are sometimes forced to rely on this borehole, which serves hundreds of households,” she says, her face a grim reminder of how climate-induced droughts have reshaped her daily life. “Conflicts often erupt here, leading to verbal abuse and physical confrontations, especially targeting women and girls.,” says Dlomo. Bulawayo, the country’s second-largest city, is feeling the severe impacts of climate change, with changing weather patterns leading to recurring droughts and drying dams. These challenges, compounded by the El Niño phenomenon, are worsening the water crisis. According to the Weather Atlas, the city’s weather over the past five years has been marked by a subtropical steppe climate with notable seasonal shifts in temperature, humidity, and rainfall. Average annual precipitation is a meager 460mm. Data shows a troubling trend. In 2018, the city recorded an average annual temperature of 22.23°C and rainfall of just 28.66mm. By 2024, temperatures had climbed to 27.2°C, signaling rising climate variability. The El Niño drought of 2024 further exacerbated the situation, leaving the city’s supply dams nearly empty. Despite this year’s slightly better rainfall of 1,098.7mm compared to 491mm the previous year, dams remain at a precarious 44.43% capacity, with drawable volumes at just 167,623,509 cubic metres. The decommissioning of Umzingwane Dam in November 2023 and Upper Ncema Dam in October 2024 has only worsened the crisis. High-lying suburbs like Cowdray Park, Lobengula West, and Emganwini have been hardest hit, with some areas going nearly six months without tap water. The water crisis disproportionately affects women, who are forced to walk long distances to fetch the precious liquid for cooking and household chores. Desperate residents have turned to unsafe water sources, leading to health risks and waterborne disease outbreaks. Marvelous Mlauzi of Entumbane describes how erratic water supplies have turned basic sanitation into a luxury. “Most toilets here use the flush system, which depends on consistent water supply,” she explains. “Now, people resort to bushes for open defecation, especially schoolchildren and young men. It’s unhygienic and increases the risk of disease.” In 2024, diarrhoea cases surged to 555 by August, a staggering 693% increase from 370 cases in July, according to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) reports. The Health and Child Care Ministry’s weekly Disease Surveillance Report in June 2024 noted 6,386 diarrhoea cases, including one death, mostly affecting children under five. “Bulawayo’s drying dams and erratic rainfall are clear indicators of how climate change is disrupting our city,” says Moffat Ncube, a researcher with Water Alliance. “The El Niño phenomenon, deforestation, and poor land management have all compounded the crisis.” Ncube warns that worsening climate patterns will continue to strain resources, leading to disease, suffering, and potential societal breakdown if urgent action isn’t taken. Pundits believe the city’s long-term solution lies in the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, a $1 billion project first proposed in 1992. Once completed, the dam’s potential yield of 634 million cubic metres could provide the city with a reliable water source. However, delays caused by bureaucracy and political wrangling have derailed the project repeatedly. In 2023, President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised to complete the dam ahead of the August general elections. The deadline was later pushed to December 2024 and now 2025. Zimbabwe is listed among the top African nations at risk of water stress. Experts are calling for robust climate adaptation strategies, including reforestation, improved catchment management, and investment in resilient water infrastructure. “Our hopes now lie with the completion of Gwayi-Shangani Dam, but beyond that, we need the Bulawayo City Council to craft policies that mainstream climate change,” says 54-year-old Nqobile Bhebhe, a community activist from New Magwegwe. “Without bold action, Bulawayo will continue to face this cycle of drought and despair.” Read more of our reporting series here: https://thecitizenbulletin.org/series/a-thirsty-city/