Informal Settlements Worsen Lake Chivero Pollution, Says Harare Mayor
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume said that informal settlements sprouting around Lake Chivero, the city’s main source of water, have exacerbated the pollution of this crucial water source.
During a press briefing on Tuesday to update journalists on the contamination of Lake Chivero, Mafume said that there is an urgent need to either halt or regulate the informal settlements.
Mafume also pointed out that the city council is relying on obsolete infrastructure that was originally built for a much smaller population. Said Mafume:
We have sewer works but they are not at full capacity because they were designed many years ago and cannot deal with the effluent and the quantities that go there and the natural growth of the city.
There are informal settlements that have been formed in and around Lake Chivero that then create a situation where there are too much pollution. We are also concerned about the pollution.
Mafume revealed that experts, city officials, government officials, and other stakeholders will soon be visiting the lake to assess the situation.
The City of Harare has been blamed for contaminating Lake Chivero by discharging raw sewage into the water body.
This pollution has led to the death of rhinos, fish, and other wildlife that drank the untreated water.
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