Harare city council resolved to perpetuate water crisis in Zimbabwe

In a startling move, the newly constituted Environment Management Committee of the City of Harare chaired by Councilor Hebert Gomba made a resolution which was presented to the full yesterday on 07 April 2016 to go ahead with construction work on Monavale Vlei (wetland).

Monavale Vlei is a Ramsar site which is amongst the seven wetlands earmarked for preservation by the Government of Zimbabwe in line with its commitment to the Ramsar Convention. The previous Environment Management Committee with the able leadership of the now Deputy Mayor Councilor Chris Mbanga had seen substance is preserving wetlands as important water sources. The current leadership has seen it fit to violate international conventions and frustrate efforts to realize the human right to water enshrined in Section 77(a) of Constitution Amendment 20.

City of Harare is currently using USD3 million to purify water. The high purification costs are caused by heavily polluted raw water in Harare. Wetlands purify raw water free of charge. In the current environment of climate change, Monavale wetland act as an important carbon sink, discharge raw water into Marimba River and purify raw water feeding into Lake Chivero. Lake Chivero is now rated among the top ten dirty lakes in the world and this poses challenges on affordability of potable water. One chief component of the human right to water is that water has to be affordable; the charges for water should not exceed 5% of household income. Although the current charges of water in Harare fulfill this requirement, the decisions made by the Environment Management Committee is a catastrophic avalanche and a right to water violation juggernaut that compromise future endeavors to fulfill, protect and respect the right to water and sanitation.

Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 13 which speaks to sustained access to water for all and climate change respectively, demands among other things waste water management; water efficiency; integrated water resources management; and protection of aquatic ecosystems. Wetlands play a very important role in fulfilling the targets and indicators for Goal 6 and 13.   
 
Community Water Alliance appeals to the Mayor of Harare Councilor Bernard Manyenyeni to exercise leadership and wise counsel so that the future of Harare water provision is preservation and restored. We implore the good office of the Mayor to provide remedy to the bad decision made on behalf of citizens and future generations of Harare. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate as well as the Environment Management Agency should also help in ensuring that wetlands in Zimbabwe