BULAWAYO'S six sources of clean water have gained 4.53% after the recent heavy rains, council has revealed.

Of the six, only Mtshabezi is above the 50% mark at 50.71%, meaning perennial water shortages are still a lived reality.

The country's second largest city usually struggles to provide water to its 666,000 residents as its dams usually run dry before the onset of the rainy season.

A notice posted by the local authority indicated that Upper Ncema stood at 13.20% of its full capacity, Lower Ncema at 13.94%, Inyankuni at 17.90%, Insiza Mayfair at 37.88% and Umzingwane at 13.17%.

Hope had been that recent heavy rains recorded in the region could have significantly improved the situation.

"The Global percentage increase to date due to the recent rains is 4.53% of overall dam capacity," read a notice by town clerk Christopher Dube.

He highlighted that because council was redirecting the water for public use as it came in, the increase was not easily visible.

"Percentage increase in dams is not yet very visible as we tend to abstract the little that is received," added Dube.

Bulawayo's water problems have been a major challenge for both government and council over the past decades.

A project to draw water from Zambezi River, the Zambezi Water Project, has not come to fruition 113 years since being mooted.

It is envisaged that success of the Zambezi Water Project will put an end to Bulawayo's perennial water woes.

Currently, council rations water, with strict timetables adhered to, resulting in dry water taps being a common feature in the City of Kings and Queens.