By Correspondent
Harare has been struggling to deal with issues of water supply to its residents for years.
However, central to the challenge is the issue of Morton Jaffray Water Plant.
Here we run down 5 reasons why the situation can’t be addressed expeditiously until focus is placed on Morton Jaffray.
1- Morton Jaffray is now over 50 years old.
The Water Plant was built in stages from the 1950s until 1980 and has essentially remained the same over the decades.
Very little in the sense of technological improvements has been done over the preceding years.
At maximum capacity, MJ now produces 750 megalitres per day against a demand of about 1400 mega litres a day.
It’s a struggling and trudging relic!
2- MJ Was Built For A Smaller Population
MJ was essentially build to cater for 200 000 people and yet now caters for over 4 million people!
There are other smaller water treatment plants around but MJ remains the main centre.
Until it is expanded or an alternative bigger Water Treatment Plant is built the problems will likely remain.
3-Absence of Routine Maintenance
Harare City Council has not been able to consistently carry out maintenance works at MJ due to financial challenges.
This has led to constant break downs and deterioration of the equipment at the place.
Town Clerk Eng Chisango says this due to budgetary constraints.
The City has not been able to engage in planned maintenance on the water services system.
This includes water treatment plants, bulk water infrastructure and reticulation pipeline.
“The deferment of maintenance has resulted in the deterioration of the water service infrastructure, which in turn has impacted on service delivery,” he says.
4- The MJ Is Already At Capacity
The China EximBank credit of US$144 million some years ago was used to enable MJ to operate at full capacity.
It meant that Harare got to where it should have been in the mid-1990s.
Now it is there when the population has increased and infrastructure within the system has aged.
The essential effect is that the operation at full capacity has no positive effect on water supply.
5- Main Water Supplier, Lake Chivero Is Polluted
ZINWA has ranked Lake Chivero among the most polluted water bodies in the country.
The others are Khami and Umguza dams outside Bulawayo, Odzi and Dora Rivers in Mutare, and Darwendale and Biri dams to the west of greater Harare.
The damaging pollution of the water has been attributed to the discharge from sewage treatment facilities and industrial discharge.
Ironically, Harare City Council has been cited as the main culprit!
“The major polluter of Lake Chivero is City of Harare, caused by the local authority’s sewage treatment plants.
“These plants are partially functional, failing to meet requirements”, says EMA Harare Provincial Publicity Officer Ms Batsirai Sibanda.
Due to this, Harare now requires US$2,5 million of chemicals monthly instead of using less than US$1 million to get drinking water.