Picture: Epworth residents wash in the dam as water shortages persist

HARARE – Water shortages have forced residents in Epworth to do their laundry and wash themselves in the nearby local dam, exposing them to water borne diseases. This picture was taken by a Nehanda Radio Citizen Reporter.

The Harare City Council has already warned residents to brace for more water woes this season due to high demand coupled with failing equipment at most of the local authority’s waterworks. Only this month journalist Simon Muchemwa told SW Radio Africa:

“The infrastructure that is still in place dates back to the colonial period, and it was meant to cater for less than a million people, not the current three million. The pipes are old and no amount of repairs will fix the natural wear and tear,” he said.

“There is also the issue of intermittent electricity supply which is affecting sewerage treatment works, and the amount of water being pumped into main water supplier Lake Chivero.

“Lake Chivero is also downstream, and pumping the water back to residential areas which are located upstream requires a lot of power, which ZESA does not have,” Muchemwa added.

Late last month, President Robert Mugabe caused outrage when he threatened to deprive residents of Harare and Bulawayo of essential services for ditching him in the July elections.

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