THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has called for Harare City to urgently redress its wastewater management to avert a water crisis that will leave residents without clean sources of underground and surface water.
The major activities that pollute both surface and underground water include effluent discharge from malfunctioning sewer treatment facilities, solid waste disposal and industrial discharges from industrial zones such as Southerton and Workington.
The Harare water crisis has haunted the capital city for decades due to poor solid and effluent waste management which inflates the cost of portable water supply by the council.
Each month, Harare needs 9 different chemicals to purify 13 500 mega-litres of water at a cost of US$3 million.
EMA acting director general, Steady Kangata told a Local Government Parliament committee on Tuesday that there was circularity between water supply and sanitation due to several reasons, hence the need for an overhaul of the whole waste management system.
The calls come as the City Council has been struggling with wastewater and solid waste management due to poor, dilapidated infrastructure causing pipe bursts that take long to be repaired or replaced.
EMA has penalised Harare City for non-compliance, serving it with 20 orders, fined it 50 tickets, dragged the local council to court twice, and summoned it once and twice by the Environment Management Board (EMB).
"There is circularity between water supply and sanitation. There is an urgent need to revamp all sewer reticulation and treatment infrastructure in Harare to protect both surface and groundwater resources.
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"The contamination of groundwater may leave residents with a viable alternative," Kangata said.
Kangata, responding to a petition to EMA by Upper Manyame Catchment Council, the acting DM told the committee chairperson Supa Mandiwanzira that most of the complaints raised were responsibilities of the City Council and not the environmental agency mandate.
He also mentioned the City Council's non-compliance with legal requirements in running the City affairs.
Although the Council has been pushing the government to speed up dam construction and completion of one such as Kunzvi to provide clean water to Harare City which does not require a vast set of chemicals, the project has been running at a slow pace.
Kangata added: "Harare City has not applied for licences since 2020 and quarterly reports for discharge points are not being submitted.
"Some of the designated discharge points are no longer discharging due to most losses before treatment plants."
To be effective in terms of delivery of service, Kangata recommended the ring-fencing of funds collected by Harare City Council for wastewater and solid waste management rehabilitation, maintenance and expansion of the sewer network and the treatment facilities.
He urged Harare City Council to develop by-laws for the management of trade wastes and litter and the capitalization of the Environmental Fund to assist in rehabilitation/ restoration.
