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Talent Hwari and Tanaka Vunganai
Harare City Council is reportedly losing 65 percent of treated water due to leakages and will soon embark on a programme to replace the ageing pipes and water metres, an official has said.

Speaking during a tour of Morton Jaffray water treatment plant yesterday, the city’s director of water, Engineer Hosiah Chisango, said over two thirds of purified water was being lost before reaching its destination.

“Our loss (to leakages) is currently the physical 35 percent and it adds up to 65 percent including the (water) meters,” he said.

“There is need to replace the meters.

“We are moving in to replace and introduce new pressure reducing valves in Budiriro, Kuwadzana and Glen View, among other high density suburbs.

“We target to complete most sections before the onset of the rainy season to avoid spillages such as those experienced last season.”

Despite the water cuts in most suburbs, Eng Chisango said the city council had increased its daily water production by 50 mega litres.

He said water supply had improved from 470 to 520 mega litres daily.

“These two pumps have not been functioning since 1986, so we have rehabilitated them and they now provide us with 25 mega litres each, giving us an increment of 50 mega litres,” said Eng Chisango.

“There has been an improvement in water supplies, especially to the western suburbs from Glen Norah to Dzivarasekwa.

“These suburbs have direct feed from Morton Jaffray.”

Eng Chisango said the rehabilitation of Morton Jaffray water treatment plant was now at 90 percent completion.

He said the plant’s completion was expected by year end.

“We expect an additional 50 mega litres per day by August and the last increment of 50 mega litres by November 2017, which will sum up to the expected 620 mega litres by end of year, thus completing works at Morton Jaffray,” he said.

Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, who was also part of the tour, applauded the contractors for the progress made at Morton Jaffray.

“There is now some stability in terms of water supply, but we want to ensure that there is total availability of water supply,” he said.

“As we grow Harare, there is still requirement to expand infrastructure, hence as Government, we have engaged the city council and Chinese contractors with a view of obtaining another facility so that we can replace the worn out and overused underground pipes so that we can be able to pump water efficiently.”

Harare received a $144 million from China Exim Bank to refurbish Morton Jaffray.