Harare City Council Says Water Availability To Start Improving By Early Next Year

The water challenges facing Harare residents are far from over as the Harare City Council issues a statement informing residents that at present, the city is able to produce about 50 per cent of the daily water requirements. Below is the statement released by Harare City Council,

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE WATER SITUATION IN HARARE

We regret to inform our water customers of the ongoing water challenges in the city.
Over the past few weeks, our water production at Morton Jaffray has been depressed, averaging 272 ML/day against a normal daily average of 450ML/day. The shortages are as a result of several factors among them:

• Over this period, the raw water quality has deteriorated to an extent that the pH has averaged 9.46 whereas, at this same time last year, the average was 8.4, making the treatment process more difficult. This has been a result of the delayed rains which normally helps in diluting the lake.
• The abstraction periscopes are now within the algae zone as shown by the high ingress of algae and fish into the treatment works. This then requires more frequent clarifier desludging as well as filter backwash which uses purified water and in the process results in less potable water pumped to households.
• On the night of 26 December 2018, the termination kit for transformer number 4 was burnt. As a result, the plant can only run with a maximum of four pumps, (2 big, 1 medium and 1 small). The problem is currently being attended to. Termination kits are required for both transformers number 3 and number 4.

SOLUTIONS
• Since 26 December 2018, the pre-chlorination HTH dosage has been increased to 2mg/1. This should result in improved algae removal through improved settlement, hence the reduction in sludge carryover to the filters.
• Management is engaging A.I. Davis to introduce a chlorine gas dosing point for pre-chlorination. Filter nozzles were also flushed using HTH on 26 December to kill algae trapped in the filter beds so as to improve filtration efficiency.
 The intake periscopes will be adjusted on Friday (28 December 2018) so as to abstract better quality raw water.
 The contractor working on the Darwendale Pump Station lift has promised that the repair work will be complete by 07 January 2019. This will allow us to blend the better quality Manyame Dam water with Chivero water.
• By carrying out the above, it is hoped that supplies into the city should start improving by early next week.

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