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NewsDay

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What Harare City Council says about water supply

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ABOUT two weeks ago, NewsDay reported that water in and around Harare is contaminated and not fit for human consumption, something that was confirmed through research.

ABOUT two weeks ago, NewsDay reported that water in and around Harare is contaminated and not fit for human consumption, something that was confirmed through research by five health experts including a chemical pathologist and a professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Zimbabwe. Ropafadzo Mapimhidze

NewsDay features editor Ropafadzo Mapimhidze (ND) then sent questions on the matter to Harare City Council that responded through Corporate Communications manager Leslie Gwindi (HCC).

Below are the questions and council’s responses:

ND: I would like to know about City of Harare’s appreciation of the water crisis in and around Harare and what is council doing about the unfit water for human consumption running through the taps? HCC: Harare and its surrounding areas have been stressed in terms of water supply due to the following reasons:

Water demand that has outstripped supply capacity. The last water production facilities upgrade was done in 1994 and the past 20 years have seen no expansion even though the demand has been increasing.

The water supply plant and equipment is now aged with most of it having outlived its economic lifespan. Breakdowns are, therefore, frequent and the long downtime periods lead to reduced throughput.

The quality of raw water has been deteriorating over the years due to industrial, agricultural and other activities in the city. The result is that more water is wasted in the production process through regular filter backwashing and this reduces the plants throughput.

Following the shortages that have been increasing over the years (since 2001), the Council devised rotational water supply plans to try and achieve equitable water distribution. Industry, commercial zones, institutions and residential areas have different priorities in the supply management system.

The gap between demand and supply determines the demand shedding period. The supply/demand gap has been increasing and this has seen the demand shedding period increase from 24 hours in 2005 to over 72 hours for some areas.

To alleviate the crisis, Council, with the assistance of development partners, has sunk boreholes mainly in the high density areas to supplement the reticulated water.

Council is currently seized with rehabilitation of the water supply system to restore it to design output and to optimise operations.

Various water treatment and pump units have been decommissioned to allow replacements. The supply outputs will increase in three phase with the first phase scheduled for August 2014, the next for November 2014 and the design outputs will be achieved in March 2015.

This will see significant improvements in water supply and subsequent reduction of the demand shedding periods.

ND: How efficient is the water treatment works? HCC: Council monitors the quality of water in the production and supply systems to make sure it’s potable (fit for consumption). Strict procedures are followed and any remedial actions taken to ensure that the water is always fit for consumption. As in all water supply facilities, samples are taken using standard methods and tested regularly.

The Council regularly flushes the water supply system as a standard practice. All water quality complaints should be brought to the attention of Council, and these have the highest priority in terms of attendance.

ND: What is HCC’s budget for water? Do you have the $3m required every month to purify water? HCC: Council budget for water for 2014 is $108 million. This covers the ongoing rehabilitation works and the Opex which includes chemicals, power supply and repairs and maintenance. The budget performance is affected by the revenue collected from customers/consumers. Chemicals requirements at levels of production have the highest priority and are always met.

Harare’s water treatment works were designed and constructed to world class standards by Degremont. These are highly efficient and effective plants designed and constructed to produce quality potable water.

These are classic treatment plants which incorporate the processes of coagulation, clarification and rapid sand filtration. Optimal chemical dosages are applied in the system to ensure efficient water production and quality regulation. But because regular upgrading and replacement of obsolete equipment has not taken place for close to 20 years the effects of wear and tear are beginning to show.

ND: Why are ratepayers paying for a water service that is either erratic or non-existent ie Tynwald North Residents (After Sanganayi Inn at the ZBS Housing complex) Letombo Park, Greendale, Hogerty Hill, Borrowdale and many other residential areas? HCC: Council regrets the current water shortages in the city and surrounding areas. Work is now currently underway to significantly improve the supply. Water consumption is normally billed as per meter reading. Even in areas where there is erratic water supplies, customers draw and store this water hence the charges that the city has to levy. Most of the areas mentioned have been receiving erratic supplies.

ND: What is the extent of damage in Harare’s water pipes from waterworks to residential properties and industry? HCC: Harare’s water distribution network has over 5 500km of water network which in most cases is old. The network is failing in most cases due to age, corrosion and pressure. There are cases where contractors around the city also damage pipes. Around 9 000 pipe bursts are reported annually in the network and this is double the internationally accepted level for Harare.

Council has obtained pressure reducing valves from the Chinese facility to replace the ones in the network that are constantly failing due to age. Once new pressure reducing valves are installed burst pipes expected to reduce significantly. The city is also in the process of mobilising funding for the replacement and upgrading of the water distribution pipes.