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Major sewage treatment plant breaks down
Michael Padera, The Herald (Zimbabwe)
January 15, 2007

http://www1.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=13957&cat=1&livedate=1/15/2007

HARARE'S biggest sewage treatment plant has broken down, forcing the Zimbabwe National Water Authority to discharge half of the city's raw sewage into the Mukuvisi River.

Out of the 144 megalitres of raw sewage that flows daily into Firle plant south of Glen Norah, 72 megalitres are being discharged straight into Mukuvisi River untreated, posing a serious health hazard downstream.

Biological nutrient removal plants, inlet works, primary settling tanks, biofilters and effluent pumps as well as clarifiers, digesters and boilers at the plant are all down.

During a tour of the Firle plant last Friday, the officer in charge of the plant, Mr Simon Muserere, told Zinwa board chairman Mr Willie Muringani that $20 billion was urgently needed to restore the plant and avert a looming health disaster downstream.

"We need $19,7 billion to restore work here and if it was to be made available today, the plant would be operational by June.

"The effluent we are discharging into the river is not of the best quality. We are only capable of treating 72 megalitres out of
144. The rest is bypassing treatment and getting into Mukuvisi while some of it is used to irrigate grazing pastures," he said.

However, the raw sewage does not meet the Public Health Effluent Regulations of 1972 for use as irrigation for pastures, according to water experts.

Harare City Council runs farms on which cattle are reared to strike a balance in the ecosystem.

Zinwa chief executive officer Engineer Albert Muyambo expressed disgust at the state of the plant, which he said, should be repaired with speed.

"We should urgently do something about this. It is unbelievable,'' he said.

The discharge of raw sewage into Mukuvisi is equivalent to using the river as a public toilet.

The Mukuvisi is a tributary of the Manyame River, which flows into Lake Chivero, Harare's main source of water.

He said Harare had five other sewer plants and several pump stations, which are performing below capacity or discharging raw sewage into rivers and streams across the city.

The heavily polluted Mukuvisi River is having downstream effects such as the death of fish and increasing the cost of treating domestic water.

Pollution levels in the river would also be reduced and aquatic life saved, if the $19,7 billion was availed soon, Mr Muserere said.

The cost of treating polluted water with imported chemicals is quite high and Zinwa has no option but to pass it on to the consumer.

The Firle treatment complex resembles an abandoned institution in need of massive rehabilitation. Idle plant and equipment is gathering rust, a sign of neglect going back several years.

The water authority is now responsible for sewerage and water management in the capital, having taken over the functions from Harare City Council.

Mr Muringani said Zinwa wants to improve the living standards of Harare residents and would do everything to ensure that the sewer plant is rehabilitated.

But he also urged households to play their part by desisting from discarding clothes, plates, spoons and other utensils into the sewer system.

"Social engineering, that is responsible household behaviour, would help reduce the problems of clogged sewer systems," Mr Muringani said.

He added that the water authority was doing everything in its power to improve service delivery.

"Service delivery should be at optimal levels and we want to clear this problem of sewage in Harare.

"We cannot afford to have a situation whereby raw sewage flows into our rivers," he added.

A fully functional Firle sewage treatment plant has many advantages for Harare ratepayers. It means fewer chemicals are used to treat domestic water supplies which translates into lower water tariffs.

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