Govt intensifies fight against cholera, gives Harare US$1.6 million to increase water supply

As it intensifies efforts to contain the cholera outbreak, the Zimbabwe government has availed US$1.6 million to the City of Harare to enable it increase daily water supplies to 520 mega litres per day, up from the current 300 to 350 mega litres, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said this during a joint press conference with his Health and Child Care counterpart Dr Douglas Mombeshora on Wednesday.

He said the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and Investment Promotion was mobilising an additional US$13 million for the capital city, while Bulawayo has been allocated ZWL7 billion for critical repairs required at Mzingwane and for purchasing other essential materials.

Masuka said the focus of central government for this year in terms of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) on a major scale was Harare and Bulawayo, but with special emphasis on the capital.

“The President directed that we assist them by seconding a technical committee chaired by Professor Makurira from the University of Zimbabwe.

We gave them a 100 day mandate, we have extended that mandate as we want them to increase daily water supplies to 520 mega litres a day. We are currently hovering around 300 to 350 mega litres and the government has availed resources to kick-start this process,” he said.

He explained that in the context of Harare, the government is also considering having two additional water sources with Muchekerenwa and Wenimbe Dams just outside Marondera being the options.

“You recall that the President commissioned Muchekeranwa Dam and the pipeline that leads to Wenimbe Dam just outside Marondera. We want to accelerate that project so that we can get water from Wenimbe to eventually flow into Harava Dam and then we will be able to maximise the utilisation of Prince Edward works at 75 to 78 mega litres a day to be able to supply the Chitungwiza municipality, whose requirement is about 70 mega litres a day,” he said.

Masuka said the government is also looking at an aquifer that has been found in the Seke area to augment the two Dams.

He said Kunzvi Dam is also expected to come on board and contribute an additional 200 mega litres a day by 2026/27, adding that the government is building that dam, the conveyancing pipeline and the treatment works to assist the City of Harare.

Masuka expressed concern at the amount of pollution on Harare’s water which results in the city using between 16 and 17 different chemicals to treat the Lake Chivero water before it can be used.

Regarding the rural WASH sector, he said government intends to drill 35 000 boreholes in 35 000 villages with 2 600 having been sunk across the country so far.

Under the schools WASH programme, Masuka said an additional 10 000 boreholes in 10 000 schools are set to be drilled as well to ensure that there is safe water.

The rural WASH Information Management System is now operational in fifty one of the fifty six districts and in seven out of the eight provinces, he said.

New Ziana