Source: Harare’s unfinished war against water woes: The mystery of the US$400m loan -Newsday Zimbabwe
BLESSED Kaweka is filled with a mixture of anger and resignation as he turns on the tap, only to be met with a trickle of greenish-brown, foul-smelling water.
“This is our reality, week in and week out,” he sighs, shaking his head.
The 52-year-old resident of Harare’s Highfield suburb has grown weary of the broken promises and dashed hopes that have long defined the city’s water crisis.
Despite a US$400 million loan secured almost two years ago, Kaweka and his neighbours continue to bear the brunt of a catastrophic failure in water governance, security and infrastructure management by the city fathers.
Their unending struggle for reliable, clean water has become a painful symbol of Harare’s unfinished war against its ever deepening water woes.
Experts cry foul
“Two years on and we’re still seeing woefully inadequate progress,” laments Simbarashe Moyo, a water policy analyst.
“The promised ‘ring-fencing’ of water revenue to channel funds back to critical infrastructure has been painfully slow to materialise to upgrade and maintain infrastructure.”
Moyo’s words are echoed by Tendai Mhizha, a water infrastructure specialist.
“It’s unacceptable that 40% of treated water is still being lost due to burst pipes and leakages,” he stated.
“The loan was meant to address these chronic issues, but still the city has failed to deliver.”
The experts’ critical assessments have one line of emphasis and paints a grim picture — two years down the line, the US$400 million lifeline secured from China, is yet to translate to tangible improvements for Harare’s long-suffering residents.
“Two years after securing the US$400 million loan from China, the City of Harare is still grappling with the crippling effects of water scarcity, leaving residents frustrated and sceptical about the true impact of the investment,” Moyo asserted.
Mhizha echoed Moyo’s concerns, lamenting lack of progress in addressing the issue of physical water provision and leakages.
“Two years on and we’re still seeing 40% of treated water being lost due to burst pipes and leakages.
“This is simply unacceptable, and it undermines the entire purpose of this loan.”
Rex Chikoti, the chairperson of the Tafara Residents for Council Notices and Complaints, expressed disappointment, stating: “We were promised that this loan will transform our water situation, but the reality is that we’re still dealing with constant low pressure and even zero water supply.”
He added that the city had absolutely failed to deliver on its promises.
Not only on direct water issues, but lack of progress in rehabilitating sewer infrastructure, a critical issue that has not only been identified as a priority by residents, but also experts.
Mhizha observed that severe raw water pollution has a negative impact on treatment costs, underscoring the city’s failure to address this fundamental problem.
He grimly observed: “Sewer infrastructure has drastically deteriorated across the city and communities, leading to increased costs of water treatment — a crisis the city is yet to resolve.”
The collective voices of experts, specialists and citizens paint a sobering picture of Harare’s unfinished water war against water miseries.
Ruben Akili, the director for the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), lamented the city’s failure to effectively “ring-fence water revenue and the effective addressing of the prepaid water meter conundrum”.
He has persistently accentuated the lack of effective water and financial governance that doggedly undermine progress.
Akili’s warning about the debilitating impact of poor water governance, further highlights the city’s inability to address the crisis at its roots.
For Kaweka and the residents of Highfield, the disappointment is palpable.
“We were promised a permanent fix to our water crisis, especially for us who have to deal with this greenish-brown, foul-smelling water gushing from our taps on a weekly basis.
“That’s the reality — to us the city has failed us and utterly broken its commitments to us,” he lamented, his voice thick with resignation and a deep sense of hopelessness.
Kaweka’s words capture the raw emotion of a community that had pinned its hopes on the US$400 million loan, only to see those hopes dashed by the city’s failure to follow through on its promises.
The persistent water quality issues and its unreliable supply and access have left Highfield residents feeling abandoned, their basic human right to clean, accessible water still elusive despite the significant investment.
The missed opportunities and the city’s stubborn refusal to heed the advice of experts have left Harare’s residents feeling betrayed and asking: Is there any glimmer of hope that remains?
Experts assert that only if the city fathers can muster the political will to truly engage the communities, embrace the recommendations of the specialists, policymakers and implement a comprehensive, inclusive approach to water governance, then the transformative potential of the US$400 million loan may be unlocked.
Only then can Harare finally ensure a water-secure future for its citizens, breaking the cycle of crisis and restoring the basic human right to clean, accessible and reliable water.
The ball now lies firmly in the city fathers’ court, who must be held accountable for their actions — or lack thereof — in the persistent and unfinished war against Harare’s water woes.
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