Harare — Load-shedding has crippled Harare's water treatment plants at Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward, resulting in erratic water supplies in and around the capital despite a Government directive against switching off strategic national installations.

As a result, the two plants that produce water for Harare Metropolitan Province's nearly four million residents suffered a reduced production of 83 megalitres yesterday.

The Morton Jaffray plant normally produces 504 megalitres daily, but according to an internal council document, it only managed to produce 424 megalitres while Prince Edward managed 63 megalitres, down from 66 megalitres.

The current problems come in the wake of six suspected cholera cases in the capital. The cases were reported in Mabvuku and Tafara -- two of the areas hardest hit by water shortages.

Harare residents and those in the satellite towns of Chitungwiza, Ruwa, Norton and Epworth are up in arms over erratic water supplies resulting from the power shortages.

Harare Central Hospital has been without water since Tuesday last week.

Hospital operations director Mr Peter Gwata said the situation had greatly affected their maternity wards, the conduct of post-mortems and kitchen services, among others.

"For the past two days, we have not been receiving any supplies and we are finding it difficult to function," Mr Gwata said.

He said the hospital -- one of the country's largest referral health institutions -- was relying on a single borehole.

However, Zesa Holdings spokesman Mr Fullard Gwasira on Tuesday said water installations and the central business district were not affected by the power utility's load-shedding.

"We do not switch off water pumping installations and the CBD.

"It is possible that there could be faults on the lines that feed the water installations," he said.

Mr Gwasira, however, admitted that on Tuesday power was disrupted for almost an hour owing to a tripping on the line feeding Kuwadzana.

But his Harare City Council counterpart, Mr Leslie Gwindi, maintained that Zesa Holdings had cut power supplies to Morton Jaffray, Prince Edward and Warren Control.

"At any given time we require 30 megawatts for Morton Jaffray, but we are receiving less than 10 megawatts. As we speak (on Tuesday), the plant is down because there is no power," he said.