Story Owen Mandovha
THE Government has appointed a 19-member technical committee to manage the City of Harare’s water affairs as part of efforts to improve the availability of the precious liquid in the capital.
Amid a two-decade-long water crisis in Harare which has downgraded standards, the technical committee has an initial 100-day term to assist the City of Harare in resolving its water challenges.
“The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development wishes to advise the public that in terms of Section 6 of the Water Act, the Government has appointed a technical team to assist the City of Harare in resolving water challenges. Section 6, Subsection (a) and (c) of the same act mandates the Minister Responsible for water to ensure the availability of water to all citizens for their primary purposes,” said the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka.
The government’s move is aimed at increasing and maintaining water production to around 520 megalitres per day.
“In terms of the reference for the Committee are to increase and maintain water production to around 520ML per day, reduce non-revenue water from 59% to 55%, ensure improved portable water supply coverage in the city from 40 to 60%,” said the Minister.
This comes a week after cabinet approved the gazetting of a statutory instrument to take over Harare’s waste management after years of neglect by the opposition-led local authority.
Experts are of the view that government interventions have exposed the opposition’s glaring inability to efficiently run local authorities.
