By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — Helcraw Water and the Harare City Council have promised residents a reliable supply of clean water as a multi-million-dollar overhaul of the capital’s ageing water infrastructure gathers pace.
The project includes replacing old and burst-prone pipes, installing prepaid smart meters and rehabilitating the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant.
Helcraw chairman Farai Jere said the project, which is being rolled out in phases, was already delivering results across the city and was expected to be completed over the next five years.
“This is a huge project and we are rolling it out in phases.
“It is expected to be finished fully in the next five years and will cost billions of dollars.
“Currently, we are focusing on three major issues: the prepaid meters, replacing pipes and rehabilitating Morton Jaffray,” said Jere.
Harare has replaced 62km of ageing water pipes with PVC pipes against a target of 106km in the current phase, according to council figures.
Acting town clerk Warren Chiwawa said the pipe replacement was aimed at reducing leakages and improving water distribution.
Jere said the project was expanded after it became clear that ageing pipes were contributing significantly to dirty water and water losses.
“The problem was not where the water was coming from, but the conveyancing system was very old.
“The old steel pipes were the real problem.
“We then sat down and said, let’s increase the scope and replace them,” he said.
Work is being prioritised in cholera hotspot suburbs including Budiriro, Glen View and Glen Norah, where residents have endured years of unreliable municipal water supplies.
More than 79,000 prepaid smart water meters have also been installed, with the city targeting 100,000 by the end of the year.
Jere said the meters would replace estimated billing and allow residents to pay for the water they actually consume.
Non-revenue water — water that is lost or remains unaccounted for — is estimated at about 60%, but the project aims to reduce this to 35%, while improving revenue collection from 48% to 90%.
“We are seeing strong acceptance of the project, and residents are now able to pay only for what they use.
“Many are also requesting the installation of prepaid smart water meters,” Jere said.
At Morton Jaffray, four pumps worth US$2 million have been bought to replace units installed in 1976.
The treatment plant currently produces between 200 and 300 megalitres of water a day, with the first phase of the rehabilitation expected to raise capacity to 520 megalitres.
A new pump has also been secured for the Darwendale pipeline, which will bring water from Darwendale Dam for blending with supplies from the polluted Manyame system.
“We have connected a pipe from Darwendale dam to improve water output into the city.
“The water will be blended with supplies from Lake Chivero for treatment, which will also help reduce purification costs,” Jere said.
Residents in some suburbs are already seeing improvements.
In Mabelreign, residents of flats who had gone almost four years without municipal water because of a blocked pipe are now receiving supplies at least twice a week following replacement works.
Some residents in Ballantyne Park are receiving municipal water for the first time in more than 20 years, following rehabilitation of the network.
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume said private-sector investment was critical to addressing years of underinvestment in the city’s water infrastructure.
“Partnerships are now producing significant results.
“These four water pumps, which were installed in 1976, are being replaced, and we have bought new ones.
This is why we need private sector participation together with us,” Mafume said.
Helcraw is also seeking to take the model to Bulawayo, where it has tabled a US$500 million to US$1 billion proposal for water infrastructure rehabilitation.
Jere said the Harare project would continue until the city’s ageing network had been modernised, with the aim of making reliable access to clean water a reality for residents.
