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Kudakwashe Ruwende Herald Reporter
Harare residents should brace for water cuts during the early parts of the Easter holidays as Harare City Council will shut down Warren Control Pump Station to facilitate repairs.

City authorities said in a statement yesterday that the shutdown would affect Greater Harare and water supplies would be expected to return to normal as soon as maintenance works are done.

“The City of Harare wishes to advise all residents of Greater Harare that there will be a complete shutdown of Warren Control Pump Station on Thursday, 2nd April, 2015 from 1900 hours to 0800hours on Friday, 3rd April, 2015.

“Normal water supply will resume as soon as we are done with repairs.”

Harare City Council said the shutdown is part of their routine maintenance of the pumping plant at Warren Control.

“The purpose of the shutdown is to allow for maintenance works at the pump station.

“One of the pumps (suffered a breakdown of) its cooling system and this shutdown is part of our routine maintenance of the pumping system.”

It is estimated that 60 percent of council’s treated water is being lost through leakages, thereby leading to extreme water shortages in the city and disease outbreaks.

Harare consumes about 800 megalitres daily, yet the city is pumping between 500 and 550 megalitres per day.

Once the refurbishment programme is complete, the city expects to pump a maximum of 700 megalitres daily.

The City of Harare has been struggling for years to provide residents with adequate water and hope is pinned on the $144 million Chinese loan that will see the refurbishment of Morton Jaffray Water Works and other pump stations.

From the loan, water treatment works at Morton Jaffray, Prince Edward and Firle are to be rehabilitated while Crowborough Waste Treatment Works and the little Marimba Trunk Sewer will also be replenished.