The Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Development Walter Mzembi told United States embassy officials in January 2009 that it was a mistake for the government to take over the Harare water supply saying this was a directive from President Robert Mugabe.
He said the Zimbabwe National Water Authority had taken over from the Harare City Council because Mugabe and his other Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front leaders believed that water was a national asset to be managed by the government.
Mzembi said this was a mistake. There could be national ownership, but efficient delivery systems were possible only with local control.
He said he had pointed this out to Mugabe and hoped there would be a change in policy.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09HARARE39, NO END IN SIGHT TO HARARE’S WATER PROBLEMS
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO6636
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0039/01 0141423
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141423Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3920
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2546
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2668
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1161
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1937
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2292
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2717
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5145
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1828
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HARARE 000039
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B. WALCH
DRL FOR N. WILETT
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
TREASURY FOR D. PETERS AND T.RAND
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PREL ASEC PHUM PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: NO END IN SIGHT TO HARARE’S WATER PROBLEMS
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (SBU) Harare’s water and sewer systems are antiquated and
can no longer cope with the city’s expansion. The problems
worsened in 2006 when the Zimbabwe National Water Authority
(ZINWA) took over the administration of water and sewer
reticulation from the city of Harare. In recent years,
intermittent power supplies, treatment chemical shortages,
and low investment levels in the sector have resulted in a
near collapse of the system, culminating in the recent
outbreak of cholera. Given the relative success recorded in
Bulawayo, where the city council is responsible for water
distribution, a return of water and sewer reticulation
responsibility to the Harare city council offers the best
hope for the current problems to be eased. Without
significant capital investment, however, supply will fail to
meet demand. END SUMMARY.
———————————
Water Delivery Steadily Worsening
———————————
¶2. (SBU) Harare’s water delivery system has steadily
degraded over the past 10 years to the point that now both
affluent and poor neighborhoods are either not receiving
water, or only receiving intermittent supplies. Wealthier
residents have long since resorted to deep wells, while the
less fortunate rely on sporadic piped water, shallow wells,
or even standing pools. The government is wholly incapable
of dealing with the problem. This incapacity was highlighted
on December 1 when the government was forced to close down
the main pumping station, cutting off water to the entire
city, including the central business district. By midday
most companies and government departments had sent workers
home for lack of water.
———————–
Demand Outstrips Supply
———————–
¶3. (SBU) According to Bernard Poko, the operations manager
of ZINWA, Harare’s water problems reflect a mismatch between
insufficient supply and growing demand for water due to years
of under-investment in the sector and the rapid geographic
expansion of Harare’s city limits. Engineer Poko told econ
specialist on December 5, 2008 that, even when pumping at
full capacity with adequate supplies of treatment chemicals,
the waterworks can only produce 600 mega liters (ML) of water
per day, compared with current demand of 1,000 ML per day.
He said that the waterworks are currently pumping well below
capacity, although production levels vary daily depending on
availability of electricity, chemicals, and spare parts.
Poko said that the creation of new Harare suburbs such as
ZimRe Park, Kuwadzana Extension, and Sunway City, had
exceeded the capacity of Harare’s waste disposal and water
reticulation delivery systems.
————————–
ZINWA Bears Brunt of Blame
————————–
¶4. (SBU) Harare’s water problems worsened when ZINWA took
over the administration of water and sewer reticulation from
the municipality in December 2006. Previously residents had
never endured months without running water. According to
Simbarashe Moyo, the Chairman of the Combined Harare
Residents Associations (CHRA), ZINWA lacks both the financial
HARARE 00000039 002 OF 004
and technical capacity to manage the mammoth task at hand. A
simple repair to a pump requires a financial allocation from
ZINWA’s parent ministry, the Ministry of Water Resources and
Development. This degree of bureaucracy has led to the
popular perception that ZINWA is inept.
¶5. (SBU) By contrast, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest
city, the city council is still responsible for providing
water to residents and, except during periods of drought,
water interruptions are rare. A well connected
Bulawayo-based businessman, Robert Sigauke, commented to econ
specialist that the city council made water decisions in a
timely and efficient manner. Additionally, the Bulawayo
council receives considerable third-party donations from
international NGOs, unlike the parastatal ZINWA.
¶6. (SBU) The Deputy Minister of Water Resources and
Development, Walter Mzembi told polecon chief on January 8
that ZINWA had taken over from the Harare council because
Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and other ZANU-PF leaders
believed water was a national asset to be managed by the
government. Mzembi said this was a mistake; there could be
national ownership, but efficient delivery systems were
possible only with local control. He noted he had made this
point in a recent meeting with Mugabe, and he was hopeful
there would be a change in policy.
——————————————
There is an Acute Shortage of Chemicals…
——————————————
¶7. (SBU) Poko told us that water production is determined by
the availability of chemicals to treat the raw reservoir
water. While some of the chemicals are imported and require
payment in foreign currency, the main chemical, aluminum
sulphate, is locally produced by the government-owned company
Zimphos. Poko told us that Zimphos cannot meet ZINWA’s need
for 140 tons per day. In contrast, Rongai Makwavarara, the
operations manager at Zimphos, said the plant could produce
up to 200 tons of aluminum sulphate per day. Makwavarara
attributed ZINWA’s lack of adequate stocks of chemicals to
the parastatal’s failure to pay for the product on time.
¶8. (SBU) Embassy contacts informed us that UNICEF began a
four-month program in December to supplement water treatment
chemicals to urban centers, including Harare. The practice
of trucking water is extremely expensive and is only used as
a last resort in response to emergency conditions.
————
…and Power
————
¶9. (SBU) Engineer Poko also said that water production is
limited by power outages due to the Zimbabwe Electricity
Supply Authority’s inability to either produce or import
sufficient electricity for the country’s needs. He conceded
that power shortages had not been a major problem at the
waterworks in the past four weeks.
————————————-
Pumps Are Obsolete and Pipes Worn Out
————————————-
¶10. (SBU) Poko also said that ZINWA water production has
been constrained by breakdowns caused by the age of Harare’s
water reticulation system and lack of investment. The
pumping equipment at both the Morton Jaffrey waterworks and
the different distribution water mains around Harare are over
HARARE 00000039 003 OF 004
50 years old and well past their useful economic life. The
situation is worsened by the lack of foreign currency for
spare parts. As a result, there are constant breakdowns.
¶11. (SBU) Poko added that the age of the pipes is giving
rise to the loss of treated water through numerous leaks in
and around Harare. Mzembi told us that ZINWA loses up to
half of all treated water through pipe bursts. According to
Mzembi, just last week nearly 300 pipe bursts were reported
to ZINWA. Poko told us that replacing the pumping equipment
without laying new pipes would result in even more leaks, as
the old pipes could not withstand the increased pressure from
new pumping equipment. Although he said that replacing pumps
and pipes would have cost Z$45 billion (about US$9 million at
the time) in January 2007, he was unwilling to provide cost
estimates at current prices.
———————-
Low Capital Investment
———————-
¶12. (SBU) Poko told us that resolution of these problems
would require a large capital injection. However, in view of
the current economic crisis, the government cannot afford the
outlay, and he does not expect water supplies to improve. He
added that because water fees have been held constant over
the past seven months, they are completely eroded by
hyperinflation. However, he does not believe that low water
fees are wholly resonsible for the low capital investment.
He told s that in the 1980s and 1990s investment in water n
Zimbabwe came from donors, including the WorldBank. (NOTE:
Poko told economic specialist on Jauary 8 that ZINWA has now
been allowed to chargecommercial clients in foreign currency
while resdential consumers will continue to pay in Zimbabwe
dollars. END NOTE.)
¶13. (SBU) As a result o not paying competitive salaries,
the parastatal has experienced a massive exodus of skilled
workes. Poko said that the few experienced workers who
remain are doing their best under difficult conditions.
—————–
Coping Strategies
—————–
¶14. (SBU) Harare’s water woes have forced residents to
devise a number of coping strategies including the use of
shallow wells in high-density areas and boreholes–deep
wells–in more affluent suburbs. According to Poko, the use
of shallow wells is one of the major factors contributing to
the current outbreak of cholera in Harare. To stop people
from using shallow wells, ZINWA, with the help of UNICEF,
trucked water to residents of areas that have a high
prevalence of cholera, such as Glen View and Budiriro. Poko
told us that in addition to the use of tank trucks, ZINWA
also connects taps to some water points for use by residents
during the day but removes them at night for fear of
vandalism.
¶15. (SBU) Poko told us that the cholera outbreak forced
government to set up a ministerial committee on December 1,
2008 charged with providing residents with clean water. He
said the committee was busy looking for resources to purchase
chemicals and called for impromptu meetings on almost a daily
basis to review progress. According to Poko, progress will
be limited because the committee is not able to conduct the
complete overhaul required.
——-
HARARE 00000039 004 OF 004
COMMENT
——-
¶16. (SBU) The government of Zimbabwe has been grossly
derelict in its duty to provide its residents with drinkable
water, resulting in the cholera crisis that has claimed
almost 2,000 lives nationwide and about 400 in
Harare/Chitungwiza. Perhaps most egregious was the
politically-motivated decision to take control of water
delivery from local councils, thereby capturing water
revenues and exerting ZANU-PF control over yet another
resource. The relative success of cities that managed to
hang onto their own water management–such as Bulawayo and
Masvingo–highlights ZINWA’s failure and should provide a
compelling argument that control must be returned to local
councils. END COMMENT.
MCGEE
(80 VIEWS)
