Story by Owen Mandovha
THE project to upgrade Harare’s water supply and distribution is gathering momentum, with over 20 000 smart meters having been received by Helcraw Water for its first pilot project.
In Harare’s Warren Park suburb, old asbestos pipes are being replaced by new PVC pipes, and several streets have already been covered as the project to revamp and rehabilitate Harare’s entire water supply and distribution infrastructure gathers pace.
The replacement of old water pipes is meant to minimise loss of water through leakages and burst pipes, whereby around 60 percent of water pumped from Morton Jaffrey Water Treatment Plant did not reach homes, with council incurring huge financial losses along the way.
“Water is now flowing in Warren Park, where we managed to install new pipes and we are continuing with work. Our teams are on the ground to map out other areas including Avondale so that we continue to replace old water pipes with new ones,” Helcraw Water’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Zedock Muchoko said.
In another major milestone, Helcraw Water, an implementing partner to the project, received more than 20 000 smart water meters which will be installed once the replacement of old pipes is complete for its first pilot project.
“The project is going on very smoothly and we have so far revamped and replaced water pipes at about three streets in Warren Park and residents are already receiving clean water, with some who have not been receiving water for decades managing to do so. We received about 20 000 smart water meters from China, which we will install in areas where we have replaced the old water pipes and where water is now flowing and our objective is to install about 60 000 smart water meters for the first phase,” Mr Muchoko stated.
The first phase of the project comprises the replacement of old pipes over a 100km stretch in areas where residents are already receiving water, while the revamping of the Morton Jaffrey Water Treatment Plant to treat over 500 megalitres of water will also expand the supply capacity in the capital city.
The prepaid smart water project is yet another successful outcome of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Call to Action launched in November 2023, rallying local councils to improve service delivery.
The project also signifies a new era of elevated service provision that resonates with an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
