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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Health Crisis - Focus on Cholera and Anthrax - Index of articles
Harare
residents under siege from contaminated water
Combined Harare
Residents Association (CHRA)
February 16, 2009
Harare has a long way
to go in combating its water woes which have been the major cause
of the cholera pandemic. According to the report that was released
by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the state of water in
Harare, the city's water has been found to have feacal contaminations.
Samples that were taken from both protected and unprotected water
sources were found to be contaminated with total and feacal coliforms.
This is a worrying situation considering the fact that Harare is
still battling to combat the cholera outbreak that has claimed more
than 4 000 lives since August last year.
The Combined Harare Residents
Association (CHRA) blames ZINWA for the water woes that are bedeviling
the city. The raw sewerage that has been flowing unabated in the
streets of almost all high density areas (Budiriro, Glenview, Glen
Norah, Mabvuku-Tafara, Highfield, Kuwadzana and Dzivarasekwa being
the most affected) has compromised the quality of water that residents
are getting. Even the boreholes that have been sunk in areas like
Budiriro have been affected due to the raw sewer that has seeped
into the water table. Residents made numerous calls to ZINWA to
fix the burst sewer pipes but the water utility completely failed
to deal with this problem.
CHRA appeals to the government
to look into the water situation in Harare as a matter of urgency.
The first port of call would be to inject capital into the restructuring
and renovation of the water infrastructure (especially the sewer
system) so as to ensure that sewer bursts become a thing of the
past. Most high-density suburbs in Harare are still experiencing
sewer bursts and the water of the city will continue to be contaminated
if this situation is not dealt with immediately and combating the
cholera pandemic would even be more difficult.
Visit the CHRA
fact
sheet
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