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CITY of Harare paid US$560 000, about half of its debt to Chemplex Corporation, in a bid to unlock fresh water treatment chemical supplies.
City of Harare owes Chemplex Corporation US$1.2 million for the supply of water chemicals.
Last month, council announced plans to ration water, citing shortages of water treatment chemicals.
Production at Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant currently stands at 136ML out of an available capacity of 450ML and Prince Edward is at 78ML.
The city pumps the bulk of its water from the Morton Jaffray.
Harare mayor, Jacob Mafume, yesterday said the payment made last week was part of broader efforts to improve the water supply situation in the capital.
“We have paid Chemplex, so they have been supplying water chemicals to ensure our water supply situation improves. After the holidays, we should get an increased supply of chemicals,” Mafume said.“We were no longer getting chemicals from Chemplex, and were importing from China. Now we can get them from Chemplex. We have paid half and we are clearing whatever we owe Chemplex.”
He promised better service delivery next year saying more equipment will be purchased to achieve that.
He conceded that the city is plagued by a serious waste management crisis, water supply constraints and poor infrastructure.
“We had gone for a long time without purchasing service delivery equipment which has strained service delivery.”
Mafume said council will also employ new strategies to recover debts from domestic and industry debtors.
“We are owed huge debts by domestic and industrial ratepayers, and that’s costing council a lot. I urge everyone to clear their debts so that service delivery is improved,” he said.
He also thanked central Government for its support in ensuring residents get better services.
Online Reporter