News / National
Harare taps run dry
10 Feb 2023 at 00:40hrs | Views
HARARE City Council has announced the imminent shutdown of water production at its treatment plants due to lack of aluminium sulphate.
"The city would like to notify you that due to critically low stocks of aluminium sulphate, water production has been reduced to stretch valuable stocks from 20 hours of operation to 30 hours from 2000 hours yesterday. This means that we will be running out of the product and ceasing operations around midnight today (yesterday)," council spokesperson Innocent Ruwende said.
"Currently one pump is running to Warren Control and one to Lonchinvar, which means that the supply level is almost insignificant and all parts of the city will be affected.
"Our supplier of liquid aluminium sulphate has suffered a breakdown at their manufacturing plant which they hope will be repaired by Saturday morning and will resume deliveries later in the course of that day."
Ruwende added: "Granular aluminium is only expected to start arriving in the country from Monday 13 February 2023. Efforts are underway to seek an alternative delivery sooner to cut the length of the shutdown.
"Any inconveniences caused are sincerely regretted."
Ruwende revealed that the city fathers have written to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to urgently allocate foreign currency to one of the companies that supplies aluminium sulphate.
Harare's perennial precarious water situation continues to raise fears of a possible major waterborne disease outbreak akin to the 2008 cholera pandemic which emanated from Chitungwiza and spread countrywide killing some 4 000 people and afflicting close to 100 000 in its wake.
"The city would like to notify you that due to critically low stocks of aluminium sulphate, water production has been reduced to stretch valuable stocks from 20 hours of operation to 30 hours from 2000 hours yesterday. This means that we will be running out of the product and ceasing operations around midnight today (yesterday)," council spokesperson Innocent Ruwende said.
"Currently one pump is running to Warren Control and one to Lonchinvar, which means that the supply level is almost insignificant and all parts of the city will be affected.
"Our supplier of liquid aluminium sulphate has suffered a breakdown at their manufacturing plant which they hope will be repaired by Saturday morning and will resume deliveries later in the course of that day."
Ruwende added: "Granular aluminium is only expected to start arriving in the country from Monday 13 February 2023. Efforts are underway to seek an alternative delivery sooner to cut the length of the shutdown.
"Any inconveniences caused are sincerely regretted."
Ruwende revealed that the city fathers have written to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to urgently allocate foreign currency to one of the companies that supplies aluminium sulphate.
Harare's perennial precarious water situation continues to raise fears of a possible major waterborne disease outbreak akin to the 2008 cholera pandemic which emanated from Chitungwiza and spread countrywide killing some 4 000 people and afflicting close to 100 000 in its wake.
Source - Newsday Zimbabwe
