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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Harare City Council is set to partner one of the largest state-owned companies in China, Sinohydro Corporation, in a $237 million deal to construct four new sewage treatment plants, as well as rehabilitating and extending existing plants.

The city says the project will increase waste water treatment capacity and quality, reduce sewage spillages and chokes, as well as reduce environment pollution and outbreaks of diseases.

Under Phase 1 of the project, the Chinese firm will expand Crowborough Sewerage Treatment Plant, install supporting pipe work and construct Lydnhurst Sewerage Treatment Plant and rehabilitate existing outfall sewer.

Phase 2 will see the partners upgrade and rehabilitate Firle Sewerage Treatment Plant, as well as the upgrade of Crowborough, Lake Chivero dredging and construction of a 60 megalitres a day and supporting pipework for the Southern Incorporated Areas.

Synohydro and the city will construct a 15 megalitre a day Budiriro Sewerage Treatment Works and a 30Ml/day Gwebi Sewerage Treatment Works under Phase 3 of the project.

Council has already acceded to the proposal, with Sinohydro already carrying out a feasibility study before submitting a bill of quantities to council.

According to the Environmental Management Committee, a technical team of engineers was set up by Harare Water director Engineer Mabhena Moyo to consider the submitted documents and interrogate the same in consultation with Sinohydro.
The project cost is estimated at $237 425 804 including taxes, duties and Value Added Tax (VAT).

“The City of Harare sewer network comprised about 5 000km of pipe network which collected sewage and conveyed it to waste water treatment plants,” a committee report reads in part.

“The city had five sewerage treatment plants Firle, Crowborough, Hatcliffe, Marlborough
Ponds and Donnybrook ponds. The plants had a treatment capacity of 219,5 ml/day.”
The plants were receiving an excess of 250ml/day indicating a serious capacity deficiency.

Crowborough treats sewerage from Kuwadzana up to Bluffhill.
The city says these areas have developed tremendously over the years and densification was taking place, resulting in more sewerage generation, thus putting more pressure to the plant.

“In order to cater for these developments and other developments in Sunway City, Epworth and Ruwa there was need to construct additional plants,” reads the minutes.

“Most of the critical components of the infrastructure described above were receiving effluent above their capacity and were in a near state of collapse mainly due to age.

“The Harare Water Department dealt with over 10 000 sewer chokes each year because most of the sewer trunk pipework was now over its economic lifespan. This impacted negatively on waste water collection and treatment.”