City’s water supplies restored

t community, private and institution boreholes fetching water after most parts of the capital were disconnected to allow major refurbishment works at Morton Jaffray Water Works.
Residents crisscrossed the capital on foot and in cars heading mostly to Belvedere where members of the Muslim community are always forthcoming with borehole water.
Residents; some from as far afield as Budiriro, Mabvuku and Kuwadzana hired kombis, while others carried buckets in wheelbarrows and pushcarts in search of water from boreholes, wells, drains and unprotected sources.
Council secured pumps from China and the refurbishment is expected to improve water supplies in Harare and satellite towns around it.
The repairs, which begun on Saturday, greatly affected most parts of the capital and desperate residents resorted to alternative sources of water.
Yesterday, town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi said the refurbishment of the water works would be carried out in phases and assured residents of the affected areas that normal supplies would be restored today.
“We were commissioning a new pump and making sure we sort out all the major leaks. We procured several pumps from China and the refurbishment will be carried out in phases so that we do not disturb residents,” he said.
Dr Mahachi said the refurbishment was expe-cted to significantly improve the water situation in Harare on completion.
“We expect to carry a similar exercise (commissioning another pump) in three months time. There will be a great improvement in water supplies,” he said.
Dr Mahachi said council had informed residents in advance through the media about the partial shut down of the water works for them to take precautionary measures.

But most residents said they were caught off guard despite several adverts flighted in the public media.
In some parts of the capital the water crisis was averted by boreholes and water reservoirs at private residences and public institutions while some residents in medium and low density suburbs have protected wells.
Long winding queues at public boreholes were the order of the day in most high-density suburbs.
“Most boreholes are down due to over use. The few that are working are overwhelmed resulting in people spending the whole day and even up to midnight queuing, forcing us to resort to wells because we have other chores besides fetching water,” said Mrs Febby Marimo of Glen Norah A.
Mrs Mitchell Hombarume of Dzivarasekwa said: “Some women doing laundry are even bringing children with them. Some of them might mischievously drink the water straight from the well, putting them at risk of contracting water borne diseases such as cholera.”
Belvedere residents came to the rescue of fellow residents with people coming from nearby suburbs such as Warren Park and others from as far as Borrowdale, Avondale, Budiriro and Zimre Park.
At one of the Belvedere houses with a borehole there is a permanent notice inscribed at the gate: “Drinking water- help yourself”
“I am doing charity work and by providing water I am saving the lives of millions as people fetch water here 24 hours.
“If there is so much pressure, like when there is a crisis, I give them another horse pipe connected from my main tap inside,” said the man who preferred to be anonymous.
The man who runs a computer consumables business in town, however, expressed concern over some companies bringing bowsers and tankers in the middle of the night to fetch water for resell.
“At one time, I woke up around 1 am after hearing some noise at the gate and I was shocked to see a huge truck connecting a horse pipe to their tankers. I had no choice but to chase them away, because this borehole is meant for the community people and not companies,” he said.
Although he refused to name the company, the man said the truck was written the name of a bottled water company.
He suspected that they wanted the water for resell.
Patients, relatives and hospital workers could be seen carrying water buckets up and down hospital corridors from the public water tanks.
“There is no one to fetch water for us especially when you can walk. The nurses are only fetching water for critically ill patients. Tiri kutongoichera tega mvura yacho. (We are fetching our own water),” said a 29- year-old woman who preferred to remain anonymous.
The woman who was interviewed at Harare Central Hospital had just given birth to a premature baby who is currently being kept at the hospital’s nursery.
Other patients said although there was no queue at the water tank, the toilets were still a cause for concern.
“All the toilets are full, no one seems to have taken responsibility,” said Mrs Rudo Makuyana whose five-year old child is admitted at Harare Children’s Hospital.
The situation was the same at Parirenyatwa Hospital, where general hand workers could be seen with huge buckets with water for use in the wards.
Elevators at the hospital were not working forcing workers to carry buckets of water to wards upstairs using the ramp- a longer way to from the reservoirs.
“We are now exhausted. Since morning we have been carrying buckets of water. We hope water supplies will be restored tomorrow (today) as advertised,” said a general hand worker at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Pupils from boarding schools and tertiary institutions in Harare were also ferrying buckets of water from nearby boreholes.
However, some schools like Selbourne Routledge Primary never felt a pinch of the crisis, as the school uses borehole water.
In the central business district most shops without water reservoirs closed during the weekend while others scaled down operations.
However some parts of Mabvuku and Chitungwiza were not affected by the water cuts.
Some households in the northern suburbs have mounted water storage tanks at their properties, which they fill up with water in case of emergency.
Harare City Council disconnected water supplies throughout the city on Friday evening to pave way for the maintenance works.