Story by Panashe Nagoli
HARARE’S efforts to improve water supply have received a major boost following the procurement of a multi-million-dollar compressor for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Morton Jaffray Waterworks Plant, a development expected to increase water treatment capacity by 200 million litres per day.
The equipment, secured through a government-facilitated public-private partnership between the City of Harare and Helcraw Water, forms part of a wider programme aimed at restoring service delivery standards and addressing decades-long water challenges in the capital.
Under the Second Republic’s drive to improve local authority performance, the partnership is overseeing the installation of prepaid smart water meters, the rehabilitation of ageing water infrastructure and the modernisation of the Morton Jaffray plant.
Speaking during an inspection of the project, Helcraw Water Executive Chairperson, Honourable Farai Jere said the compressor was identified as one of the immediate interventions needed to improve plant efficiency.
“When government brought us in to rehabilitate the Morton Jaffray Waterworks Plant, we looked at the quick wins and one of those quick wins was this compressor from Germany,” he said.
He noted that the new equipment is expected to raise treatment capacity significantly.
“It is going to increase the plant’s capacity from about 320 megalitres to 520 megalitres. The project is a huge one and the phased approach we have taken ensures that residents continue to benefit from operations whilst rehabilitation is ongoing,” said Honourable Jere.
City of Harare Projects Engineer, Engineer Walter Madziro, explained that the compressor will improve the backwashing process, a critical stage in water treatment.
“The compressors that council had been using were old and ineffective because the pressure was not sufficient. Through the installation of this compressor, the pressure generated during backwashing will improve the plant’s ability to treat water,” he said.
The upgraded system is also expected to reduce water consumption during the backwashing process, improving operational efficiency while increasing output.
Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, hailed the public-private partnership model, saying it is already delivering tangible improvements in service provision.
“The government’s approach to public-private partnerships has ensured significant improvements in service delivery. In Harare, from Geo Pomona and now Helcraw, we have seen how this can be achieved,” he said.
“When modern equipment is brought into Morton Jaffray, it ultimately benefits residents because more treated water means greater access to water.”
The compressor installation forms part of the first phase of the broader Harare Water Project, which also includes replacing more than 500 kilometres of ageing asbestos pipes with modern PVC infrastructure to curb leakages and reduce non-revenue water losses.
Once completed, authorities expect the combined interventions to strengthen water security for Harare residents while modernising one of the country’s most critical water treatment facilities.
