Harare reports dirty water as Marondera runs dry
By Tererai Karimakwenda
05 January 2007

The state controlled Herald newspaper reported Friday that the town of Marondera has been without water since the beginning of this year. The only information residents have is a notice that came last week from civic authorities advising them of a "water demand management programme" that the council was due to implement from January “until further notice”. Businesses in the area have also been affected.

One factory owner who chose to remain anonymous said his company was losing money daily because water rationing was being conducted during work hours when they need it the most. The town clerk Josiah Musuwo is quoted to have said Thursday that Marondera’s problems were due to a shortage of water treatment chemicals that had risen in price.

Meanwhile Harare residents reported Friday that their tap water was looking “oily” and had a dirty yellowish colour. Several entire families said they had suffered from bad stomach pains. Among them was our own correspondent Simon Muchemwa, who was advised by a doctor to check the family’s water supply. Muchemwa said they now not only boil their drinking water, but use a chemical called “jit” to purify it.

Other Harare residents said their running water comes and goes without warning. This has been the case for most areas of Harare for a long time now. The illegal administration headed by Sekesai Makwavarara has come up with no solution and continued to increase rates for poor services.

Water problems have hit most regions of Zimbabwe. The authorities blame the shortage of foreign currency and theft for the crisis. But observers and analysts say the solution to Zimbabwe’s woes is a wholesale change of government and a new people driven constitution leading to free and fair elections.