City ups purification dosages

Debra Matabvu
Harare is battling to improve its potable water quality in the wake of a typhoid outbreak with indications that the city has increased water chemical purification dosages at its treatment plants. The Sunday Mail understands that the local authority has increased chlorine dosages at Morton Jaffray and Warren Control stations.
Information gathered shows that chlorine dosages will be added at Lochinvar and Letombo reservoirs, shortly before water is distributed to homes.
Lochinvar supplies water to Western suburbs such as Mbare, Glen view, Budiriro, Mufakose, Kuwadzana, while Letombo supplies areas in the eastern suburbs that include Tafara and Mabvuku.
There will also be online chlorination that will see the water treatment chemical being inserted into boreholes in the city.
The measures follow a recent typhoid outbreak that claimed two lives, with over 200 cases reported since December 24 last year in the capital.
The outbreak has been attributed to poor general hygiene, unclean water, erratic water supplies that forced residents to turn to unsafe sources.
City of Harare water acting director Eng Hosiah Chisango said various measures are being taken to contain the typhoid outbreak.
“We have increased chlorine dosages at Morton Jaffray and Warren Control,” he said.
“We have also introduced super chlorination at Lochinvar and Letombo reservoirs. This does not mean quality of Harare water is poor.
“Our water meets the required standards. In this instance we are taking further measures to combat the outbreak.
“Samples are being taken on all 235 public boreholes around the city. Chlorination of boreholes in Mbare has started and so far we have decommissioned one borehole in the suburb because of contamination.
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) director Mr Mfundo Mlilo said the move by the local authority was commendable.
“I think it is more of an availability issue than a quality issue. As long as households do not receive regular water, the problem of typhoid and other water borne diseases will persist,” he said.
Most research findings have condemned the quality of Harare water.
The local authority blames industries, petroleum companies and food outlets for the city’s water pollution.
However, a 2014 survey conducted by the Environmental Management Agency revealed that Harare was the major polluter of drinking water sources through discharging raw sewage.
In 2015, the city audit committee highlighted that Harare City Council was failing to implement proper industrial chemical waste management.
The investigation discovered that there was insufficient effort to control chemical disposition into the capital’s water bodies, giving rise to fears that a lot of companies could be discharging toxic effluent into the water bodies.
Harare recycles waste water back into its supply dam, Lake Chivero.
The local authority uses at least nine chemicals to treat the water at a cost of $3 million a month.
Plans are underway to reduce cost of water treatment chemicals as well as improving water quality after successfully completing a water research project last year.