HARARE City Council (HCC) says it has secured chemicals required at its Morton Jaffray Water treatment plant to avert a feared water crisis.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
In a statement the City said they have since paid the suppliers of the chemicals.
Harare City Council has found contingent supplies of chemicals to resume water production three hours from now. The suppliers of the chemicals have been paid,” the City Fathers said.
HCC stated residents will today start receiving water.
“The other quantities are coming from Bulawayo and are expected to arrive this evening. Pumping to residents will be progressive from one area to another. Western suburbs will begin to receive water 8 hours from production start while the CBD and Mbare, Highfield/Sunningdale will access water after 12 hours/midnight,” said the City.
Giving a status update on the chemicals yesterday, the Mayor Councillor Herbert Gomba explained,”SOME suppliers of water treatment chemicals were paid last week but are yet to make deliveries. The companies are paid first and then source the required products. The companies use the ZWL component to buy forex from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe at the prevailing interbank rate.
“Last Wednesday ZIMPHOS was paid ZWL500 000 while Chilmand was paid ZWL1.2 million and KITHRA ZWL1million. These companies are owed over ZWL 50 million for previously deliveries.
“The interbank exchange rate at which the city buys forex is affecting service delivery because when the citu sells the water toresidents it does not rate its costs for onward transfer to residents. For example its costs over ZWL 15.00 to treat one cubic meter of water but the city sells the same amount for ZWL 0.80c.”
