SERVICE delivery in Harare has deteriorated sharply, with the city contending with erratic water supplies, collapsing road infrastructure, unreliable refuse collection and a non-functional billing system, residents have said. In a report released by the Harare Residents Trust (HRT), residents said they only received municipal water twice a week on average, with the precious liquid often contaminated. “The residents report that they have been receiving water twice a week on average.
The water has impurities when it is available,” the report stated. “When it is left in containers, the water turns greenish or brownish, which reduces confidence among residents to drink it. “Observations by residents are that the city water dries their skin, probably due to the treatment chemicals they are using.” The residents said some suburbs had gone for two weeks without running water which forced communities to form co-operatives to drill boreholes.
“Residents have become desperate for municipal water supplies. In all suburbs, water availability has worsened, with some residents going for two weeks without receiving any water. “In some suburbs, water availability is erratic, with households receiving water once or twice a week.
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Yet in other suburbs, residents have water most of the week except weekends up to late on Mondays. “Communities desperate for water have come up with an alternative plan. Residents have teamed up to form local community water co-operatives, where they drill a borehole and connect to each member upon payment of agreed- upon fees, which include joining and membership fees,” the report said.
According to the residents, this has led to some residents falling prey to bogus drilling companies. “Lately, residents in such local water co-operatives have raised concern about the dishonesty of some borehole drilling companies that lie about the depth of the boreholes,” the report added.
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