HARARE, Apr. 28 (NewsDay Live) – The Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) has raised concern over the deepening water crisis in Harare which it says was imposing an ‘unbearable burden’ on residents, particularly vulnerable groups.
In a statement, HRT said the ongoing crisis was severely disrupting daily life, with women, children and the elderly hardest hit.
“Every day, young girls are forced to miss school to fetch water. Mothers spend countless hours in queues instead of providing for their families. The elderly, who deserve dignity and care, are left struggling to access this basic human necessity,” the organisation said.
HRT urged authorities to act urgently and guarantee sustainable water supplies across the city.
Most suburbs in Harare and surrounding areas have been affected, with residents often enduring days or weeks without tap water, forcing many to rely on boreholes and unsafe water sources.
Meanwhile, city authorities yesterday said measures were underway to improve supply through the rehabilitation of the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume said the upgrade project, being undertaken under a public-private partnership involving council, government and Helcraw Water, was expected to increase treated water output.
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“We are working on rehabilitating Morton Jaffray so that we can increase the production of treated water and stabilise supply to residents,” Mafume said.
Farai Jere echoed similar sentiments, saying the intervention would modernise key infrastructure and improve efficiency at the plant.
“This intervention is meant to enhance capacity and ensure that Harare residents have more reliable access to water,” he said.
