daniel chigunweNyasha Motsi
Herald Correspondent
Many residents of Harare are facing the prospect of a dry Christmas this year, as the city has struggled to provide potable water for the past two weeks due to an operational fault at Moton Jaffray.
Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume said the water crisis was due to a temporary power surge that came after engineers tried to connect power to pumps.
“What happened is that the water then flowed back to Morton Jaffray and flooded pumps,” Clr Mafume said.
“After the pumps were flooded, we had to stop using them until they were dry.”
One pump was functional, and pumping in some areas had resumed.
Clr Mafume said power challenges were hampering constant water supply to residents.
“We have consistently said that issues of power need a lasting resolution. We have engaged ZESA, and they have assured us that we will be able to build a dedicated solar plant at the Morton Jaffray works and other related sewer and pumping capacity,” he said.
Despite the accusations by residents that council water was not safe to drink, Clr Mafume said it was 99 percent safer than other water sources.
“We are willing to have it tested by anyone at any point in the circulation process. When it leaves Morton Jaffray, the water is 99 percent clean, which is above world health standards.”
This ongoing water crisis has left numerous households in Warren Park, Kuwadzana, Westlea, and Tynwald, among other places, without access to the essential resource, creating significant challenges for families as they celebrate the festive season.
Meanwhile, the Harare City Council has agreed with Acumen to establish a new purification plant at the major Morton Jaffray treatment plant, potentially resolving a four-year dispute over the city’s water chemicals supply chain.
If approved by the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ), the city could save approximately US$500 000 from its current monthly expenditure of US$2,3 million on water treatment chemicals.
Clr Mafume announced during last Wednesday’s full council meeting that the deal with Acumen had finally been finalised.
