A representative from the Harare City Council during the stocktaking of National Adaptation Plan (NAP) workshop said that in some urban areas such as Bulawayo there is a shortage of raw water due to climate change.
Bulawayo has been experiencing water shedding as supply dams receive reduced amounts of the life-saving liquid due to low rainfall.
“Borehole water levels have gone down due to climate change for example the minimum borehole depth was 30metres (m) in 1990 now at 60m,” said the representative referring to the situation in Bulawayo.
“Flooding causes heavy pollution on surface water sources by increasing the amount of inorganic materials thereby increasing the costs of water treatment”.
Besides the shortage of water in towns and cities, it emerged during the workshop that climate change is also behind the increased movement of people from rural to urban areas as climate change causes droughts and floods.
“Urban infrastructure is being strained by the unexpected growth due to the migration,” a participant during the workshop said .
Residents in big towns such as Harare have been reported to be drinking polluted and unsafe water with the Minister of Finance Patrick Chinamasa saying that population increase in urban areas is not corresponding with investment opportunities.
Zimbabwe’s urban population is projected to grow from 4.3 million in 2012 to 6.5million in 2032 according to Zimbabwe Statistics report.
Climate change a concern to Zimbabwe and the world has led many organizations including the United Nations to plan ways of countering the harsh weather conditions that are predicted to continue.
The representative was giving an overview of climate change and the urban environment during the NAP workshop that is one of the UN programs in the country.