Govt Turns To Darwendale Dam To Alleviate Harare's Water Woes
The government is implementing measures to alleviate the water crisis in Harare, including financial assistance for purchasing water treatment chemicals and a programme to draw water from Darwendale Dam to the Morton Jaffray Waterworks for purification, a senior official has said.
Harare has faced acute water shortages over the past week, with suburbs such as Warren Park, Glen Norah, Mabvuku, Kuwadzana, Kambuzuma, parts of Avondale, Glaudina, and Mbare being among the hardest hit.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said that with these interventions, the water supply is expected to increase from the current 330 megalitres per day to over 600 megalitres per day by the end of the year. Said Garwe (via The Herald):
The Local Government and Public Works Ministry is working on water reticulation programmes to draw water from Darwendale Dam and pump it into Morton Jaffray Waterworks for purification and onward conveying it to the City of Harare.
The ministry has also facilitated meetings to bring together relevant water treatment chemicals suppliers to improve the supplies and payments for supplies made. I am happy to note that there has been significant progress regarding this.
It is expected that by year-end the water supply will have increased from the current 330 megalitres per day to over 600 megalitres per day.
Last week, the City of Harare announced the temporary decommissioning of the Prince Edward Water Treatment Plant near Chitungwiza, saying it could no longer draw water from the Harava and Seke dams as they have dried up.
The council said the plant will only be recommissioned when the two dams fill up most likely during the coming rainy season.
The local authority added that areas that are likely to be affected include among others, Chitungwiza, Hatfield, Airport, Waterfalls and Msasa.
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