Harare residents resort to water harvesting

Harare - Erratic water supply and frequent water disconnections by the Harare City Council in high density suburbs has prompted residents to resort to water harvesting, it has emerged.

Water harvesting is simply the collection of water for domestic or commercial use that would otherwise go down the drain. Various techniques have been practised for thousands of years to collect and store water, especially in areas of low rainfall.

This came to light at a workshop held in the capital by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt Development (ZIMCODD) yesterday with participants noting with concern the health hazards associated with water harvesting.

"The issue of water privatization has forced residents to go this far, not everyone can afford to buy water for domestic use everyday."

"To make matters worse we do not know how safe that water is because in most cases such water in collected from burst pipes, uncovered wells and so fourth because our city council is not providing residents that basic special liquid," said Tinashe Gumbo, ZIMCODD's Advocacy and Research officer.
Research findings by the ZIMCODD revealed that water disconnections has led to illegal connections that most residents have mastered reconnecting during the night when the council is not on duty.

Gumbo said some residents had to break water pipes in order to access water.

"Illegal connections has become the order of the day, residents illegally reconnect themselves in the event that the city council disconnect. In most cases residents have resorted to breaking water pipes so that they can desperately benefit from the leakages for free," he said.

Chairperson of the Harare Metropolitan Residents Forum, Israel Mabhoo said women were the most affected by shortage of water in the city suburbs as they are forced to spend the whole day on long queues to get the precious liquid.

"Shortage of water in high density suburbs were they are few alternative water bodies has long term effects which may not be realized now but later people will be shocked about water is happening at water collection points.

"Extra-marital affairs will start as most women are spending less time at home than at the boreholes, and we have got those men who use their scotch carts to sell water, trust me disaster will happen," said Mabhoo.

ZIMCODD is a social and economic justice coalition established in February 2000, dedicated to facilitating citizens` involvement, through their sectors and as activists in making public policy and practice pro-people and sustainable.