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Water supply to resume in Harare
IRIN News
December 09, 2002

JOHANNESBURG - A potential water crisis in Zimbabwe's capital Harare was averted on Monday after the Reserve Bank announced that it would provide US $500,000 for the purchase of water purifying chemicals.

Since last week water supplies to several suburbs in eastern Harare were cut because the council had no chemicals to treat the water owing to a shortage of foreign currency.

Cuthbert Rwazemba, Harare's city council spokesperson said the money would be used for the purchase of Ecol 2000, the chemical used to kill harmful algae in the water supplies.

"All of the affected areas can expect the resumption of normal water supplies later this week. But even though the US $500,000 is definitely a relief, it certainly does not meet the requirements of the water reticulation upgrading programme in the city. We have also experienced a shortages of limer [required to reduce the acidity of the water], but our UK supplier has promised to deliver a further 200 mt by Tuesday," Rwazemba told IRIN.

The Harare city council is one of the few major urban centres controlled by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Last week reports suggested that the government had deliberately delayed assistance to the council to sabotage the MDC's reputation with the residents in Harare.

But Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Ignatius Chombo dismissed the allegations.

"Now we get very upset when someone starts politicising a sensitive issue like water. Elias Mudzuri [Executive Mayor of Harare] and his council must stop politicking and playing games," the state-run Herald newspaper reported on Monday.

Zimbabwe has experienced an acute shortage of foreign exchange over the past two years, which has also affected fuel and electricity imports.

Rwazemba appealed to residents to conserve water until the council had procured all the chemical needed for purification.

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