HARARE – The Harare City Council (HCC) has shut down Prince Edward water treatment plant owing to depleting raw water levels in two of the city’s catchment dams.
The move is a setback to the city and health authorities’ efforts to contain spiralling cases of a cholera outbreak linked to continued shortage of portable water in parts of the city.
In an update Tuesday, council said Prince Edward water treatment plant was shut down on Saturday as a result of depleted raw water in the supply dams of Harava and Seke.
“The two dams are at 13.7 percent (≈ 925 ML) and 13.5 percent (≈ 516 ML) full, and as a result the water level in Seke is now below the abstraction level.
“Although the upstream dams of Dema 1 and Dema 2 were opened on 21 November 2023, no significant inflows have been recorded,” said the city.
Authorities said most of the southern suburbs being serviced by Prince Edward were being affected by the closure of the plant.
The areas affected include Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Cranborne, Hatfield, parts of Chitungwiza, Mbare, Sunningdale and Graniteside.
“However, some supplies are being received from Morton Jeffrey (water treatment plant) through the inter-connector at George Road and Seke Road,” said HCC.
The closure of Prince Edward comes when the rain season is yet to start in earnest with some residents often forced to resort to contaminated sources of water.
Harare is in the throes of a raging cholera outbreak that continues to claim lives amid spiraling cases being reported in parts of the city.
The outbreak has been linked to continued failure to supply portable water to residents by the local authority.
