HARARE City Council executives yesterday told Parliament that the city’s tap water was safe and suitable for human consumption despite being smelly and greenish in colour.
MOSES MATENGA STAFF REPORTER Addressing members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, water engineer Christopher Zvobgo dismissed reports that the city water was ispatching heavily contaminated water which posed a health hazard.
“We test our water every hour; we can’t supply water which is not acceptable to WHO [World Health Organisation].
“We would rather cut on supplies than supply water which is not suitable and does not meet the quality.
“Yes it might be smelly, but it will contain no bacteria which is dangerous,” Zvobgo said.
Speaking at the same event, acting town clerk Josephine Ncube said the city’s water met WHO quality standards.
“Our water meets the WHO standards. Yes, there is an issue of colour and odour, but it could be because of some other reasons, but our water is safe for drinking,” Ncube said.
Residents have over the years expressed fear that the water could cause long-term health problems.
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Last week, council’s health director Prosper Chonzi said the city’s tap water was free of bacterial infections.
“We don’t pump water with bacterial contamination, so it may not cause residents to have diarrhoea, cholera or typhoid in the short term, but the fact that the water sometimes has the odour and a greenish colour means that it could cause long-term health problems,” Chonzi said.
His remarks were in reaction to reports of a diarrhoea outbreak in some high-density suburbs.
