Water in Lake Chivero consumed by millions of Harare residents is highly polluted by raw sewage posing a serious health threat, a new report has found.
The findings have been released by the a public awareness steering committee on water management in Harare this month (March 2012).
The report was written by Simbarashe Majamanda, Harare Residents Trust (HRT) Membership Officer, following a site visit to Firle sewage treatment plant.
“Unfortunately water in Lake Chivero is highly polluted because raw sewage is pumped into the lake due to the fact that Firle cannot treat the entire sewer pumped through the plant. Sewage from Chitungwiza is also much polluted, which makes water treatment a huge task at Morton Jaffray,” says Majamanda.
The report says there is need to rehabilitate the plant. It also finds there is hope that, with ongoing rehabilitation, the plant may increase water pumped to 614 mega litres – but this is still only half of the water required by the City of Harare and Chitungwiza.
It is further reported that a total of eight water treatment chemicals are used to treat water unlike in the Seventies and Eighties, when only five water treatment chemicals were used.
“About $2 million is being used each month on chemicals,” Majamanda said.
