Dry weekend for Harare Harare City Council Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango
Hosiah Chisango

Hosiah Chisango

Herald Reporters
Water supplies will be cut off to Harare residents from tomorrow to Sunday, as the Chinese contractor battles to complete the $144 million rehabilitation of the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant, which is already behind schedule and affecting effective water availability in the city.

The unavailability of water in the city has become a cause for concern to residents, most of whom have to rely on unprotected sources when supplies are cut off, thereby exposing themselves to diseases.

China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) was contracted to rehabilitate Morton Jaffray in 2013 and was supposed to have completed the project in December last year.

The firm was last paid $72 million in March last year, but council insists the delay in the completion of the project has nothing to do with non-payment.

Harare City Council exonerated CMEC from the mess yesterday, saying the contractor was not being given “continuous time to work on the project”.

Harare Water director Engineer Hosiah Chisango attributed the cut off of water supplies to residents over the weekend to repair works at the plant.

“We have screens that we want to replace to block objects getting into the plant,” he said. “Tomorrow (today) we are making an assessment. Divers will go into (Lake Chivero) and make an inspection.

“Quality test valves are not working now. We want to adjust those valves and they are also under water. They are old. To assess the intake, you have to stop water getting into the plant.”

Eng Chisango said Prince Edward water plant would be functional, but it was too small to supply the whole of Harare.

On why it was taking long to complete the project, Eng Chisango said: “The deal with the Chinese had timelines, but they (CMEC) were assuming it was going to be continuous work, but we always stop them and that is why there is added time.”

Eng Chisango said council at times refused the contractor permission to shut down the plant for rehabilitation purposes and this affected progress.

“In terms of payment, we have accessed half the money,” he said. “The Chinese bank pays the contractor and so far only $72 million has been paid.”

The city’s corporate communications manager Mr Michael Chideme said: “There will be a complete shut-down of the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant from Friday 30th of June at 1600hrs to Sunday July 2 at 1600hrs to allow for emergency maintenance work at Lake Chivero raw water intake station.”

Council and CMEC last year signed a new contract in which the Chinese offered to complete the project using own resources.

The initial deadline for the completion of the project under the new arrangement was June 27 last year.

The city had stopped paying CMEC, saying it was not satisfied with costs of work done.

Harare mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni said yesterday that they were pushing Government to ensure payment of the contractor.

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