The Stench of Decay
Harare's sewerage system falls apart

2nd June 2003

On the "shore" of a stagnant large pool of raw sewage in Harare's Dzivaresekwa high-density suburbs, five-year old Natasha Mamombe mimics what she has observed her mother doing in the kitchen.

Oblivious of the possible danger of contracting diseases, Mamombe scoops water from the putrid pond and with the air of a seasoned housewife goes through the paces of cooking a traditional dish of sadza.

But Mamombe is not alone in her new found pastime. Thousands of children in Harare's high-density suburbs such as Dzivaresekwa risk contracting diseases such as typhoid and cholera from tones of raw sewage spewed into the open as the sprawling capital's aging sewerage reticulation system collapses under the strain of a rapidly expanding population. Mercy Chikura, who bought a house in Dzivaresekwa two months ago, told the Daily News she had to send her two and a half old year daughter to live with a relative who stays in Harare's affluent northern suburbs where sewerage spillage is rare.

"Sewerage bursts have occurred every two months since we bought the house in November last year. We are worried about our health and had to send our daughter to live with her grandmother, " Chikura said. "We cannot continue like this. The council must find a lasting solution to this problem, or have they given up and would rather watch like everybody else as this beautiful city rots.?" a visibly frustrated Chikura asked.

Founded in 1890 by British colonists, who named it Salisbury after the then British Premier Lord Salisbury, Harare developed over the years to become one of the cleanest cities in Africa. Known to its admirers as, Sunshine City, Harare was popular for its wide and clean - kept streets and the impressive jacarandas. But an economic decline gripping the entire nation has taken its toll on the city. Dzivaresekwa's burst sewer pipes are only an indication of a plethora of problems and ills threatening to reduce the once magnificent city into yet another decaying Third World city.

Street lights, particularly in less affluent areas like Dzivaresekwa rarely function, and rubbish is strewn everywhere because the council does not have fuel for garbage collection trucks while a drive along some of Harare's streets is virtually a test of endurance because of the potholes.

Meanwhile a fight for control at Town House between the government and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) appears to have stalled efforts to revive Harare with Executive Mayor Elias Mudzuri, who was the driving force behind efforts to reclaim some of the city's lost glory now temporarily ousted from his job. Mudzuri, who won the city's mayorship on an MDC ticket last year, immediately launched a refurbishment exercise of Harare, resurfacing roads and expanding the city's sewerage system.

The MDC mayor was however last month suspended by Local Government MInister Ignatius Chombo. One of the hard-liners in the ruling ZANU PF party Chombo said he suspended Mudzuri because the mayor had among other things failing to produce a turn around plan for the city.

Some analysts said Chombo dismissed Mudzuri because the government did not want the capital city run by an opposition mayor.

Whatever the reasons Mudzuri was suspended for, the renewal of Harare appears to have ended with opposition mayor's temporary departure from the city council.

For example senior officials at Town House could only say the city required huge amounts of money to revamp its sewerage system but would not say how they were planning to raise that money or when exactly residents of Dzivaresekwa could expect the municipality to replace the old pipes in their area.

The city's acting director of works Vumisani Sithole said the city council was planning to overhaul the entire sewerage system but he could not specifywhen this was likely to happen besides saying the whole project depended on availability of funds.

Sithole said: "There are no plans to overhaul the whole system as some parts are currently operating satisfactorily. However, plans are on hand to upgrade the Crowborough outfall sewers, (which were recently tendered out), Highlands and Bluff hill outfalls, Chisipite and Budiriro pump stations (which are currently under construction). "The implementation and completion of these plans is dependent on the availability of capital funding which has to be borrowed. "

Acting executive Mayor Sekesai Makwavarara, said the frequent sewer bursts in most of the city's high-density suburbs were an indication of a reticulation system that was stretched beyond its capacity. But she also could not lay out a detailed programme by the city council to redress the breaking sewerage system or any of the myriad problems threatening the city.

Sithole said the best the city council could do for now was to timeously respond and repair any reported sewer or water pipe bursts. But that does not appear too helpful for many residents here in Dzivaresekwa who say council workmen never repair the burst pipes but only sprinkle some disinfectant on the sewage.

Crymore Mutesva, a neighbour to Chikura in Dzivaresekwa said: "When the council officials responded to our call for assistance, they could only sprinkle disinfectants despite the heavy flow."

By Obert Matahwa Staff Reporter - Daily News (Zimbabwe)