Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika-Senior Reporter
HARARE Metropolitan Province requires at least US$500 million to overhaul its wastewater management and provide a lasting solution to repeated outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid in recent years, a parliamentary committee has said.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Climate, Environment and Wildlife made the finding in a report tabled in Parliament last week following an inquiry into water pollution hotspots in Harare and Chitungwiza.
Submissions and evidence presented by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), the City of Harare and Chitungwiza Municipality revealed a systemic collapse of wastewater management infrastructure across the metropolitan area, compromising the region’s primary water bodies and creating a severe environmental and public health crisis.
The committee warned that without adequate funding and a coordinated approach to wastewater management, the region would continue to face the threat of disease outbreaks.
“The committee’s inquiry highlights an existential threat to the long-term viability of the Harare Metropolitan region. The findings collectively demonstrate that without a massive, coordinated capital injection exceeding US$500 million and a fundamental overhaul of the administrative approach to wastewater governance, the region will remain trapped in a cycle of severe public health crises and environmental destruction,” the report reads.
“Resolving this crisis requires moving beyond repetitive litigation toward active, structural rehabilitation. The path forward depends entirely on granting institutional independence to local authorities, strictly ring-fencing service revenues and transforming the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’ from a passive penalty mechanism into an active tool for ecological restoration.”
The committee observed that the persistent discharge of millions of mega-litres of raw sewage into public water sources constitutes a clear violation of Section 73 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
“This constitutional provision guarantees every citizen the right to a clean, safe and healthy environment. The current state of wastewater management directly undermines this fundamental right, reflecting a profound systemic failure by local authorities to uphold their statutory duty to protect both citizens and public natural resources,” it said.
The committee described Harare Metropolitan as “sitting on a public health time bomb”, noting that severe contamination of primary water sources such as Lake Chivero has directly contributed to recurring outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and dysentery.
It cited historical data showing that the 2008–2009 cholera outbreak, which resulted in over 98 000 cases and 4 200 deaths, was identified as a direct consequence of burst sewers and subsequent pollution of municipal drinking water sources.
The committee also raised concern over extensive environmental destruction driven by acute chemical and biological imbalances in the water systems, with high concentrations of phosphates triggering widespread eutrophication.
This process, it said, occurs when excessive nutrient levels feed rapid algal blooms that suffocate aquatic life. Combined with dangerously low dissolved oxygen levels, it has led to severe ecological shocks, including massive fish die-offs at Lake Chivero and the rapid proliferation of invasive water hyacinth, further disrupting the local ecosystem.
A key administrative finding was the deep disconnect between municipal revenue collection and infrastructure maintenance. While local authorities collect service fees from residents and EMA issues financial penalties for pollution, these funds are frequently absorbed into general municipal accounts rather than being ring-fenced for capital repairs.
This lack of financial isolation has diverted resources away from urgent rehabilitation and expansion of the sewer network. Bureaucratic delays and procurement hurdles have also stalled critical interventions at key sites such as Amalinda Crossing and Morton Jaffray Water Works, allowing infrastructure to deteriorate for more than 15 years without effective municipal intervention.
