Harare, Zimbabwe — Residents spend as much as 20% of their income on water, yet what comes from their taps is green, dirty and undrinkable. Now, privatization looms, threatening even higher costs.
For years, this country's capital city has discharged sewage into its main water supply. Then, the city started charging to purify the water -- a cost that locals say eats as much as a fifth of their income. The water they receive isn't even clean.
Now, the City Council may privatize the water system. In January, Daniel Garwe, the local government minister, announced that the government has invited both local and international companies to submit proposals. The shift could lead to higher water bills.
Junior Buta says she spends about 20% of her monthly income on what the city says is purified water. The supply is sporadic, available every three to four days. When the green water comes, it smells foul.
"We use it to water our gardens, and once the water clears, we collect it in our bowls," she says. "Even after sitting for a day, we still notice visible dirt settling at the bottom."
This water comes from Lake Chivero, which has been the city's main water supply for more than seven decades. Locals say that for years, the city has been dumping raw and semi-treated sewage into the lake and the rivers that feed it.
Jacob Mafume, the mayor of Harare, doesn't deny it. He calls the city government "one of the culprits" because it doesn't have adequate sewage infrastructure or the resources to upgrade it. But he blamed other industries and companies for disposing waste there, too.
Lake Chivero now ranks among the globe's 10 most-polluted lakes. The lake's depth has decreased from 28 meters (92 feet) to just 18 meters (59 feet) due to sediment buildup, partly from pollution. The problem reached a tipping point in December 2024, when four rhinos, along with thousands of fish and other wildlife, succumbed due to cyanobacteria in the water. In 2023, a Global Press Journal investigation found unsafe levels of contaminants in Harare's water.
The city spends between US$2.5 million and US$3 million every month on water purification -- efforts that are far from effective.
"The cost feels excessive for water that is dirty and inconsistently available," Buta says.
Mafume acknowledges that Harare residents will pay more if water services are privatized, but he says the move will lead to improved water quality and supply.
In January, the government partnered with Hangzhou Laison Tech, a Chinese-owned company, through local partner Helcraw Electrical, to build a water-treatment plant.
But Harare resident Aaron Kagande, like many other residents, is skeptical of the deal. "We are not sure if this is being done in good faith," he says. "Maybe it's just a way to fuel corruption."
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He points to his experience with electricity. Residents must pay up front for a service that may not come. If the water supply is privatized, he says, they may face the same situation.
South Africa, Zambia and Ghana have experimented with privatizing water supply. In some cases, it has failed to deliver on its promises.
In South Africa, privatizing water services in Johannesburg led to higher costs and access issues for low-income communities, resulting in widespread protests. When Zambia privatized Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company, it led to service disruptions and increased tariffs, exacerbating water-access inequalities.
The whole thing is a cop-out by the Harare government, says Rueben Akili, director of the Combined Harare Residents Trust. Shifting responsibilities like water management to private companies undermines accountability, he says.
Meanwhile, Buta dares not drink water from her taps. She fetches her drinking water from neighbors who have installed boreholes -- at a cost of US$1 for three buckets.
"I last drank Harare city water in 2008 during a massive cholera outbreak," she says. "Since then, I've heard numerous reports of diarrhea from those who have consumed it."
But borehole water isn't safe either. In 2024, the Natural Environment Research Council analyzed 21 boreholes in Harare and found troubling levels of contaminants.
There is a simple answer to all this, Buta says. "The most effective solution lies in preventing pollution in our local water sources."
Linda Mujuru is a Global Press Journal reporter based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
