Greetings to all the residents of the City of Bulawayo.
The 22nd of March commemorates World Water Day each year in realization of the necessity of water and the need to conserve it.
The commemorations also serve as a reminder that water is a natural resource that is irreplaceable in our daily lives. This reminder serves true to the City of Bulawayo especially at a time when we are going through a water scarce period and are facing a serious drought due to poor rainfall patterns exacerbated by the El Nino effect and climate change.
This year’s celebrations are being held under the theme Leveraging Water for Peace realizing that when we work together and cooperate we create a positive ripple effect that fosters harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges.
The theme emphasizes the need to work together to balance the needs of everyone and make water a catalysts for a peaceful world. It encourages us to explore the critical relationship between water and peace and also the need to utlise tools and good practices that help us protect this most precious resource.
The City of Bulawayo realises that water can be a tool for peace hence the numerous efforts towards ensuring water availability despite the numerous challenges faced. We are focused on embracing cooperative approaches where we are working with the Government, Private Public Partners, the International community, Non-Governmental Organisations, Academia, Residents and Diplomatic Missions towards ensuring equitable access to water. We believe that partnerships will allow us to harness water as a stabilizing force and catalyst for sustainable development and foster peace for generations to come. As we celebrate this day, we are focused on ensuring the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for all by 2030.
Let us remember that today is about teamwork and ensuring that no one is left behind towards making water a catalyst for a more peaceful world.
SENATOR DAVID COLTART, THE MAYOR
