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Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter

Government will avail more money to Harare City Council so that it can source raw water from Manyame Dam which require less chemicals than the algae infested Lake Chivero where a cocktail of treatment chemicals are wanted, President Mnangagwa has said.

The intervention by Government is expected to see residents accessing improved and clean portable water after perennial shortages of the precious liquid as the city fathers struggled to provide water.

President Mnangagwa said this on Monday after touring Morton Jaffray water works with Harare city councillors led by mayor Councillor Hebert Gomba to have an appreciation of the plant.

It also emerged that discussions for the achievement of that vision would require all stakeholders since Manyame Dam is owned by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority while Lake Chivero is owned by Harare City Council.

Treatment of water from Lake Chivero requires about eight chemicals because of high concentration of algae while two chemicals were required for water from Manyame Dam.

“Morton Jaffray has been here for many decades. Most of the equipment is very old now. We have agreed on a programme to make sure that Harare has water. There are two reservoirs, Chivero Dam and Manyame and I am told that it is easier to deal with water from Manyame than from Chivero.

“So we have agreed on that programme so that we use less chemicals but still achieve clean water from Manyame.

“It costs money but my Government is prepared to finance the programme, phase one, two and three, we are going to finance it,” said President Mnangagwa.

Treasury disbursed $37 million to Harare city council last month and Government set up a committee of technocrats to assist council in handling the money that was meant to be for capital projects. (More to come)