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Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Reporter
The water situation at Harare Central Hospital is set to improve following the commissioning of a 2,5 million litres underground reservoir at the health institution.
In an interview with The Herald yesterday, the hospital’s chief executive officer Ms Peggy Zvavamwe said the new reservoir together with two others already existing reservoirs should definitely ease the water problems.

Ms Zvavamwe said a local company had already started construction of the new reservoir, which is expected to be completed by mid year.

“There is a local company which is building a bigger reservoir of 2,5 million litres to be completed in June and this will definitely alleviate the water situation,” she said.

Ms Peggy Zvavamwe said although the institution managed the situation with back-up water supplies, sometimes they resorted to buying water when the Harare City Council failed to provide tap water for more than 24 hours.

She said the hospital put up 42 water tanks of which 14 of them have a capacity to hold 10 000 litres of water.

“Under normal circumstances, the city gives us water for 12 hours during the day,” she said.

“In the night we are using back-up tanks.”

Ms Zvavamwe said when the city council fails to provide water for more than 24 hours, the hospital would have no option but to buy.

“We do buy water to feed our back-up tanks if the council has not given us water,” she said.

“Our consumption is very high, especially the boiler, laundry and kitchen. The consumption of water for us is around 700 to 1 000 cubic meters and if the city gives us water on a daily basis we can use 3 000 cubic meters which is three million litres per day.”

The critical departments include maternity, theatre, X-ray and the steam boilers, with the boiler needing at least 8 000 litres of water an hour and it is expected to function for 24 hours.   The X-ray department, maternity and theatres need at least 20 000 litres of water each a day.

According to the city council, the hospital has been experiencing water problems owing to its citing, which is at a hilltop and this results in taps drying up if there is no pressure.