Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
PERSISTENT water shortages in Harare are severely hampering firefighting operations, forcing the Harare City Council Fire Brigade to rely on water bowsers to replenish fire engines despite the widespread presence of fire hydrants, Chief Director in the Department of Civil Protection (DCP) Mr Nathan Nkomo has said.
Mr Nkomo said the city’s fire hydrant network remained largely ineffective because many hydrants were not receiving water, making it difficult for firefighters to respond swiftly to emergencies.
“The fire hydrants are there, but the only challenge we have, particularly in the City of Harare, is that water cannot reach everywhere. Whilst you have the fire hydrants, there is no water,” he said in an interview.
“That is why each time there is a fire outbreak, you find the City of Harare being assisted by water bowsers to replenish the 5 000-litre fire trucks. That is not a good idea, but for now we are improvising because there is no water in the City of Harare.”
His remarks come as Harare continues to experience a series of destructive fires that have affected commercial buildings, industries and informal trading centres, including Glen View Area 8 Home Industry Complex, Mbare Musika, Magaba Home Industries and most recently, the Regal Star Building in the central business district.
Despite the challenges posed by water shortages, Mr Nkomo said Government had significantly strengthened the country’s firefighting capacity through the procurement of 131 fire tenders.
“Let me start by cherishing the wisdom of the Government of Zimbabwe by procuring about 131 fire tenders. For the first time in post-Independence Zimbabwe, Government has managed to procure fire trucks even for rural district councils, something that was never there before,” he said.
He said the investment reflected the growing need for firefighting services beyond major cities as growth points and business centres continued to expand.
“We now have semi-urban areas in those districts, growth points and business centres that are equally susceptible to fire hazards. We now have something that we can call a fire rescue team at rural district level, and we have also added more fire tenders for urban centres.”
Mr Nkomo said Harare’s firefighting capacity had also been enhanced through the redeployment of additional fire engines from municipalities that recorded fewer fire incidents.
He, however, stressed that improving emergency response alone would not be enough without stronger fire prevention measures.
