Harare needs US$500 million to fix collapsed sewer system

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Climate, Environment and Wildlife made the finding in a report tabled in Parliament last week after an inquiry into water pollution hotspots in Harare and Chitungwiza.

Evidence from the Environmental Management Agency, the City of Harare and Chitungwiza Municipality pointed to a systemic collapse of wastewater infrastructure across the metropolitan province, which has compromised major water bodies and triggered a severe environmental and public health crisis.

The committee described Harare Metropolitan as sitting on a public health time bomb. It said severe contamination of primary sources such as Lake Chivero had directly fuelled repeated outbreaks of waterborne disease.

The committee said persistent discharge of millions of megalitres of raw sewage into public water sources also constitutes a violation of Section 73 of the Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right to a clean, safe and healthy environment.

“This reflects a profound systemic failure by local authorities to uphold their statutory duty to protect both citizens and public natural resources,” it said.

The committee also warned of extensive environmental destruction. High concentrations of phosphates have triggered widespread eutrophication, where excessive nutrients feed rapid algal blooms that suffocate aquatic life.

Combined with dangerously low dissolved oxygen levels, the high concentrations of phosphates have caused massive fish deaths in Lake Chivero and the rapid spread of invasive water hyacinth.

The committee noted that while councils collect service fees and EMA imposes pollution penalties, the funds are not ring-fenced for repairs but absorbed into general municipal accounts, diverting resources away from urgent rehabilitation of the sewer network.

Bureaucratic delays and procurement hurdles have stalled critical interventions at key sites such as Amalinda Crossing and Morton Jaffray Water Works, allowing infrastructure to deteriorate for more than 15 years without effective intervention.

The committee said without a fundamental shift, the region will remain trapped in a cycle of disease and environmental destruction.

“The committee’s inquiry highlights an existential t