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Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Reporter

President Mnangagwa’s intervention to solve Harare water crisis is bearing fruit with the council having increased its current water production to about 320 megalitres daily up from an average of 200 megalitres last year.

The Government recently handed over equipment bought under a US$9,3 million Treasury facility to Harare City Council in fulfilment of President Mnangagwa’s pledge to tackle water challenges facing the greater Harare area and other local authorities countrywide.

Other funds were released by the Government through devolution funds. Harare municipality has the responsibility of supplying potable water to all local authorities within the Greater Harare area.

Speaking after touring Morton Jaffray and Warren Control Water Works, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes, Dr Joram Gumbo, said the Government was ready to support the council.

“The President has on numerous occasions underscored the need for urban local councils to prioritise the delivery of quality service to the people.

“It is my hope that the projects we have toured are a response to his appeal for local authorities to provide better sanitation infrastructure for ratepayers in their jurisdictions,” he said.

Dr Gumbo said it is, however, a matter for regret that the provision of proper and adequate sanitation remains a stain on the performance of most urban local authorities.

“The tragedy with many of our local authorities is that the rapid increase in population has not been matched by commensurate development and rehabilitation of requisite water and sanitation infrastructure.

“The result has been that with an ageing water supply system, some suburbs within the jurisdiction of the City of Harare have gone for years without accessing water resulting in past outbreaks of cholera in areas such as Budiriro and Glen View,” he said.

Dr Gumbo said councils should never allow a situation where residents of the cities are afflicted by such prehistoric diseases because they have failed to provide the requisite sanitation infrastructure.

He said it should also be noted that at the time of installation, the infrastructure was meant to cater for a very small population.

“The water infrastructure is therefore in dire need of upgrading if it is to cope with the rapid expansion in urban settlements.

“It is for this reason that Government has prioritised the upgrading and rehabilitation of water infrastructure and has made significant strides through the release of resources under the auspices of devolution funds,” he said.

Harare Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Oliver Chidawu, the permanent secretary in his office Mr Tafadzwa Muguti, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume and acting town clerk Mabhena Moyo among several other officials were part of the tour.