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Remember Deketeke
Herald Correspondent

Harare City Council is failing to address the disaster looming at Town House where the basement has been flooded for the last two weeks.

The Town House basement has been filled up with water seeping through from a leaked pipe and underground stream that flows under Julius Nyerere Way.

HCC is failing to address the issue despite the basement holding the city’s historical documents, which have been archived there for years.

The documents now are at risk of being destroyed as the water has filled the basement.

With council workers sometimes taking turns to scoop the water out of the underground space, a more decisive solution is needed urgently to address the situation.

Speaking to The Herald yesterday, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume said plans of draining the water and coordinating the preservation of documents have already been put in place.

“HCC has mobilised US$2 000, which is enough to buy the pump stationed at Town House and pump (out water from) the whole basement,” he said.

“To ensure that we finish the task quickly, we will utilise the fire department’s pumps.

“Also, coordination to expedite the removal of water without damaging the historical documentation has been implemented with the National Archives of Zimbabwe and the National Art Gallery helping to retrieve the documents which are of historical importance.”