Residents urged to brace for more water shortages

as water demand outstrips supply, particularly during the hot season when water usage is high.
Harare is currently processing only 650 megalitres of water per day against a demand of 1200 megalitres every day.
During this peak period from September, October to November, Harare and its steatite towns – Chitungwiza, Epworth, Ruwa and Norton with a combined population of 4 million people – require almost 1 400 mega litres per day.
Harare Water director Engineer Christopher Zvobgo said water problems would persist for the foreseeable future

“Water is not enough, during this peak period season from September, October to November as people use more water than usual because its summer. During this peak period Harare requires up to 1400 mega litres everyday,” he said.
Eng Zvobgo said the situation was compounded by loss of treated water through leakages and theft.
“The first challenge we have is that of demand which has out stripped supply by double. We also have other challenges including physical loss such as pipe bursts caused by aging infrastructure, commercial losses, which is illegal connections such as by-passing of metres and even complete removal of water metres,” Eng Zvobgo said.

He said this month alone they conducted a survey under their programme to install new water metres to get accurate readings and discovered that over 76 premises had no water metres and were using the precious coomodity free of charge.

Eng Zvobgo said they have also embarked on an awareness campaign to educate people to use water responsibly.
“Currently, we are spending US$2 million every month on chemicals alone,” Eng Zvobgo said.
He said Harare’s reticulation system was over 5 000 kilometers and required over US$16 million per month to refurbish about 16km of the system per year.
He noted that the completion of Kunzvi and Musami dams projects would ease the water shortages. Kunzvi and Musami dams were supposed to have been commissioned in 2002 and 2007 respectively.

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Eng Zvobgo said Harare has since devised a water-rationing programme that proritises high density suburbs in a move to ensure that everyone receives water.
“We cannot give everyone water. We have to ensure that all the high-density areas have water on a daily basis unless there is a pipe burst or major repairs to be done,” he said.
He said critical institutions such as hospitals, the central business district, and industry would have uninterrupted water supply on a daily basis.
Other areas that will have uninterrupted water supplies on a daily basis include Mbare, Graniteside industrial area, Willowvale industrial area, Mabvuku, Tafara, Athlone, Amby, parts of Greendale, Mandara,

Chikurubi Prisons, Chikurubi Support Unit, Zimre park and Western suburbs.
Other suburbs would receive water for between two and four days of the week. Below is the timetable when water is available:
Waterfalls, Hatfield, Chadcombe, Msasa Park and Epworth: Sunday, Monday Tuesday and Wednesday

Highlands, Ballantyne Park, Borrowdale West, Borrowdale, Pomona, Vainona, Colne Valley, Helensvale and Greystone Park: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Philadelphia, Borrowdale Brooke, Hogerty Hill and Hatclifffe: Thursday and Friday

Mabelreign, Marlborough, Sentosa, Ashdown Park, Mt Pleasant Heights, Bloomingdale, Bluff Hill, Westgate, Adylinn and Good Hope: Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Kambanji, Glen Lorne, Greendale, Chisipite and Chishawasha Hills: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
However residents in those areas are saying that the timetables are not being met with some areas like Mabelreign having gone for more than two weeks without water.

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