Harare runs dry as water treatment plant shuts down

Harare-A disease outbreak is looming in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare after the City council shut the main water treatment plant owing to shortage of water treatment chemicals.

On Sunday the City of Harare issued a statement to the effect that they were buying foreign currency on the interbank market and this was affected by the rates against their budget.

“Harare City Council has run out of key water treatment chemicals and is at the moment stretching the little available amounts to treat limited supplies of water. If no urgent bailout is given between today and Tuesday, management will be forced to shut down Morton Jeffrey Water Treatment Plant.

“Council is buying foreign currency on the runaway interbank exchange market against a stagnant and inflexible budget,” read the statement

A survey around most suburbs revealed that boreholes were overwhelmed and some residents were using unprotected water sources.

In 2008 Zimbabwe battled a deadly cholera outbreak that claimed more than 4000 lives and fears are that if the situation is not addressed the catastrophe might as well return.