Govt resolves Harare water crisis

Harare, (New Ziana)- Government has availed $9.3 million to the Harare City Council for urgent water treatment plant upgrades to alleviate water woes affecting the capital city, a Cabinet Minister said on Tuesday.

Harare has been failing to provide clean and reliable water to residents owing to various factors, including dilapidation of water infrastructure and shortage of foreign currency to buy treatment chemicals.

This has prompted government to intervene with direct assistance to the local authority.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Cabinet had been briefed on the water challenges affecting Harare and its satellite towns.

The briefing also follows the visit to one of Harare’s water treatment plants, Morton Jaffrey, by President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently.

Mutsvangwa said water supply to Morton Jaffrey was limited due to the poor quality of raw water in Lake Chivero, Harare’s main water source.

“An assessment of (Lake) Manyame (Harare’s other water source) and Warren control pump stations revealed that pollution of water at Lake Chivero is worse compared to Manyame. Cabinet concurs that pumping water from Lake Manyame reduces the usage of aluminium sulphate by 26.8 percent, this will consequently reduce the cost of treating water,” she said.

“In light of this, Cabinet resolved that Harare City Council uses water from Lake Manyame, (and) that government avails USD$9.3 million for urgent works at Manyame and Warren Control pump station which are to be completed in two months.”

Mutsvangwa said Cabinet also resolved to capacitate Chemplex Corporation to enable it to import water treatment chemicals.

She said government would also provide loan guarantees for the various water and sanitation projects to be undertaken by local authorities while hefty fines would be imposed on polluters of water sources.

“Local authorities (will) be allowed to sign various agreements that would ensure the supply of adequate and affordable portable water to the public,” she said.
New Ziana