Harare begins refurbishing water treatment plant

By Tichaona Sibanda

The Harare City council this week began to refurbish the capital’s main water treatment plant in an effort to end the capital’s perennial water shortages. The four-year, $144 million project will affect dozens of the capital’s neighborhoods, already reeling from water woes for years. 

It is anticipated that refurbishment of the plant under a Chinese loan facility will increase the water treatment capacity by 140 megalitres from the current average of 600 megalitres a day.

From Morton Jaffray Water Works, the project will eventually extend to replacing kilometers of aging water mains throughout the capital. The pipes are about 60 years old.

Almost 200km of dilapidated and leaking water reticulation pipes need to be replaced as well as another 100km of collapsed sewer pipeline. Currently the city loses up to 60 percent of treated water through leaks on the old pipelines. SW Radio Africa