Water Woes - Or their just deserts?

Water queue

The capital city finds itself woefully short of water again with little hope of an early end to the suffering of the residents. The state media conveyed the unwelcome news to the nation on Friday (10th September). The City Council – or what is left of a city authority following the protest withdrawal of MDC Councilors – has decided to introduce swingeing water cuts on a regular basis to northern and southern suburbs. Suburbs from Gunhill to Waterfalls, from Chisipite to Ruwa, will be restricted to a 6 hour supply each day. Water will be disconnected from 3.00 pm. to 8.30 a.m. the following day.

The immediate cause of the water cuts is the low level of the city’s reservoirs which simply cannot keep up with the steadily rising demand. However shortages have become an increasing problem in recent years due to the aging water reticulation equipment at the Morton Jaffray Water Works, and the lack of foreign exchange to purchase replacement equipment or even the chemicals used in water treatment. This was a looming problem to which the formerly MDC-administered Council repeatedly drew the government’s attention, but instead of helping, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Dr Ignatius Chombo, chose to obstruct all the Council’s efforts to deal with the problem. As Harare residents know well, to their cost, Chombo’s real agenda was to bring to naught the Council’s efforts in this and every other well-meaning endeavour, in order to demonstrate the ZANU PF myth that an MDC administration could not succeed, and to justify any subsequent strong-arm intervention. It was in protest against these bullying tactics that the MDC Councilors resigned en masse last month.

As a result Harare’s water woes continue unabated. The city’s public relations manager, Mr Leslie Gwindi, did his best to put a positive gloss on the harsh new measures, saying he hoped the new system would ease the problems currently being experienced by residents. This was apparently a reference to the random cuts of 24 hours and more in the water supplies to which residents had become accustomed. But small comfort for those hundreds of thousands of working residents who are away from their homes during the 6 hour period when supplies are supposed to be available, that is between 9 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. One wonders when they will be able to take a shower, have a bath or even flush the toilet. Perhaps Zimbabwe’s capital city will soon be acquiring a reputation, not for a particular style or ambience so much as for a distinctive pong. And so much for what was once called “Sunshine City”, capital of the “Jewel of Africa”.

Ah well. Harare residents should not complain. After all they had the temerity to vote overwhelmingly for the MDC both in the parliamentary and local government elections ! That kind of treasonous activity cannot go unpunished.