The Sunday Mail
At a community borehole at Council offices near Kuwadzana 2 shops, commotion reigned one sunny Sunday afternoon as people of all age groups jostled to fetch water.
Until that point in time, the people had been queuing in a highly-defined file awaiting their turns to tap the precious resource.
However, all hell broke loose when a regiment of youths evaded the queue in a gangster style and went straight to the tap to fill up their containers.
The queue swiftly degenerated into a pushing and shoving crowd that was now hurling all sorts of insults as everyone protested against the youths’ actions.
At this point, it became apparent that what had seemed like order and patience was actually impatience that had been building up. This impatience bust-up massively at the slightest squeeze. On any other day, not many people would have given a farce for the youths’ waywardness. However, on this particular day, being the third one with dry taps, the residents were not in the mood to entertain any funny business.
“Ana bamnini iyi yamakuda kuita ndokunonzi kupinda nemwenje mudziva manje, zvino pano tokurovai fodya dzese dzikapera (Young men don’t cause a scene here because we will beat all the drunkenness out of you,” shouted one middle aged man.
The security guard in charge of the premises later managed to restore order. However, the situation tense throughout the day.
Such scenes are not unique to this borehole in Kuwadzana. They are happening at many other water sources each time the Harare City Council cuts off supplies. Some nursing mothers need water in abundance to wash their children’s nappies and clothes. There is also the risk of a typhoid outbreak in Harare as people are now fetching water from unsafe sources.
However, despite the unbearable situation, Harare City Council authorities have said that residents should brace for more dry taps until July. This is because of a major refurbishment exercise going on at Morton Jaffray water treatment plant which supplies the bulk of water to Harare. The City Council says while the next couple of months will be a difficult period, it will subsequently result in increased and efficient water supplies. Harare City Council’s Engineer Christopher Zvobgo told The Sunday Mail Extra last week that the situation will not be as bad as anticipated since they are installing isolator valves.
He said isolator valves make it easier to isolate the specific pipes under service so that the Council does not shut down the whole system.
The project is being done under the US$144 million loan facility from the Chinese Export Import Bank. Engineer Zvobgo, along with the City’s corporate communications Manager, Mr Michael Chideme took The Sunday Mail Extra crew for a tour of the plant. The installation of the isolator valves was almost complete. New pumps and various types of pipes were strewn all over the yard and warehouses. A new switch room which controls all the electricity at the plant is almost complete and the engineers say that it will improve energy efficiency by 25 percent.
