Harare to ease water woes

Michael Chideme Municipal Reporter
HARARE City Council is processing work permits for Chinese water engineers seconded to the capital to upgrade the city’s water delivery system under the US$144 million China Import and Export Bank loan.Town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi confirmed on Wednesday that he would be leading a delegation of Harare engineers to China to conclude the

acquisition of plant and equipment that would be used under the three-year water and sewer upgrade programme.
The city has partnered with CMEC of China in the implementation of the project.

Officials from the company were on Wednesday seen moving from office to office at Town House in a clear show of the commitment to go ahead with the project.

The city sourced the funding from China following complaints by residents that they were not getting enough water and also after realising that the water and sewer distribution network was old and in need of replacement. The 2008 cholera outbreak added urgency in the city plans to upgrade water and sewer facilities.

“We have concluded all the designs for plants for various reticulation requirements that we need. We had Chinese engineers here for two weeks to validate the design plans,” said Dr Mahachi.

He said the water and sewer upgrade would be implemented in three years.
Dr Mahachi said during the second year of project implementation, 80 percent of Harare residents would receive water on a regular basis.

He said the Chinese were pushing for the speedy implementation of the water project in line with the initial agreement.
At full implementation Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward water treatment plants would be able to produce up to 705 megalitres a day, he said.