Bulawayo-based agro-processing company, United Refineries Limited (URL) has suspended operations due to persistent water challenges in the second largest city, 263ChatBusiness has learnt.
Bulawayo is faced with one of the worst water crises in decades due to successive droughts during the past two years. The successive droughts have left the city of Bulawayo’s dams in a precarious state.
In a statement this Tuesday, the company said, “We regret to inform our customers, suppliers and stakeholders that we have had limited water supplies to our factory for the last 7 days and the situation has not improved.
“As a result we have had to temporarily suspend our factory operations as we await the situation to normalize.”
URL manufactures soaps, cooking oil and mayonnaise among other products.
The acute water shortages have hit hard on the city’s economic growth prospects with economic activity already been disrupted by the Covid-19 restrictions.
“We continue to engage Bulawayo City Council with regard to returning the situation to normality. We are aware this is happening as we prepare for the festive season stocking programs and promotions,” said the company.
The situation has become dire in recent weeks with some residential suburbs going for several weeks without running water.
Meanwhile the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) said it will soon start pumping water from an aquifer at Epping Forest in Nyamandlovu were 10 boreholes have been rehabilitated to mitigate the situation.
