Leaks, theft and billing failures drain capital as residents endure prolonged water cuts The post Harare losing 60% of treated water as supply crisis deepens appeared first on newsday .
HARARE, Aug. 29 (NewsDay Live) — Harare is losing about 60% of its treated water through leaks, theft and billing failures, worsening a supply crisis that has left residents going for days without running water despite the city producing hundreds of millions of liters daily.
The losses, known as non-revenue water, mean a significant proportion of water treated by the City of Harare never generates revenue, further weakening the municipality’s ability to maintain and expand its aging water infrastructure.
The crisis comes as Harare struggles to provide reliable supplies to a population of more than 2 million, with aging pipes, inadequate treatment capacity and poor revenue collection compounding the problem.
Meanwhile, Helcraw Water Project, which is partnering with the City of Harare to tackle water losses and improve revenue collection, was on Thursday named Best Affordable Housing and Urban Development Exhibit at the 116th Zimbabwe Agricultural Show.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa presented the award on Friday after the official opening ceremony.
Helcraw is rolling out smart prepaid water meters in Harare alongside the rehabilitation of aging pipes, digital billing and integration of meter data with municipal geographic information system maps.
The project targets reducing Harare’s non-revenue water from 60% to 35% while increasing revenue collection from 48% to 90%.
A major component of the intervention is at Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant, where capacity is expected to increase from 350 million liters per day to 520 million liters per day — an additional 170 million liters daily.
“Our objective is to move from simply responding to water problems to building systems that prevent those problems from becoming permanent,” Helcraw Managing Director Zodeck Muchoko said.
“You cannot talk about powering growth without talking about water. Agriculture needs water, industry needs water, businesses need water,” he said.
Helcraw has already introduced smart prepaid meters in Karoi, where residents say the technology has improved water service delivery and ensured consumers pay for what they use.
“We are glad that water delivery has improved in Karoi through smart meters secured through Helcraw. People are now paying for what they use. The smart meters were long overdue in Karoi,” said Joel Zilala of the Progressive Karoi Residents Association.
“The award is for us as Helcraw’s starting point on smart meters. We look forward to seeing its promise of cutting off leakages countrywide,” Zilala said.
Helcraw said similar projects are underway in Gokwe and Guruve, with plans to expand to other towns.
With Harare collecting less than half of what it bills and losing more than half of its treated water, efforts to resolve the capital’s chronic supply problems will hinge not only on increasing production but also on stopping losses across its aging distribution network.
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