Cases of suspected typhoid have risen to 500 in Harare due to inadequate water supplies. Council spokesperson Leslie Gwindi yesterday confirmed the developed.
He added: “We are talking of numbers in excess of 500 now as we speak. “There has been an increase in the cases, but what has happened now is, it might not be typhoid exactly, but watery diarrhoea as a result of unsanitary conditions or unclean sources of water like shallow wells.
“We have no reports of deaths as yet, but we are working together with the private sector on the matter and we have sunk boreholes in Dzivarasekwa so that residents can access clean water.”
He admitted the city had no capacity to deliver potable water leading to many residents relying on shallow wells.
“We have to make sure clean water is provided, but we can’t produce enough water and that’s no secret,” said Gwindi.
He said council was producing only 610 megalitres a day against a demand of 1 400 megalitres.
He said diarrhoea was mainly caused by unsanitary conditions.
