Parliament calls for State of Emergency over Harare sewage crisis as 80 megalitres of raw sewage enter Mukuvisi River daily

Harare is facing a public health crisis as raw sewage continues to flow into rivers feeding Lake Chivero, the capital’s main water source, a Parliamentary report has warned.

The Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife’s report on water pollution hotspots in Chitungwiza and Harare, tabled in July 2025 and released this week, paints a grim picture of the country’s deteriorating wastewater management system.

According to the report, Zimbabwe’s wastewater treatment infrastructure has largely collapsed, with only 20 of the country’s 63 sewage treatment plants currently functional.

The operational plants are discharging an estimated 570 megalitres of raw sewage every day, further worsening pollution levels in major rivers and water sources.

In Harare, the situation is particularly dire.

The city’s flagship Firle Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was designed to treat 144 megalitres per day, is currently processing only 54 megalitres, while the Crowborough plant is completely non-functional.

One of the worst pollution hotspots identified by the committee is Amalinda Crossing, where collapsed trunk mains have been discharging approximately 80 megalitres of raw sewage every day into the Mukuvisi River.

The committee said the problem has persisted for 15 years, with the Mukuvisi River eventually flowing into Lake Chivero, Harare’s primary source of raw water.

Repairs to the infrastructure are only expected to be completed by June 2027, according to the report.

At Budiriro Pump Station, which has been non-functional since 2014, raw sewage continues to overflow into the Marimba River and backflow into residential yards, exposing residents to potentially harmful pathogens.

The committee linked the deteriorating sanitation infrastructure to recurring outbreaks of waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid and dysentery.

It cited the 2008-09 cholera outbreak, which killed approximately 4,200 people and infected 98,000 others.

The report also highlighted worrying water quality indicators in the affected rivers and Lake Chivero.

River monitoring data showed dissolved oxygen levels of 51.2%, below the healthy level of 60%, while Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) stood at 9.48 mg/L, approximately four times the safe limit.

Elevated phosphate levels were also blamed for contributing to extensive fish deaths and the proliferation of water hyacinth in Lake Chivero.

The committee warned that the continued pollution posed serious risks to public health, the environment and the sustainability of Harare’s water supply.

It said the situation was inconsistent with Section 73 of the Constitution, which provides for the right to an environment that is not harmful to health or wellbeing.

Among its recommendations, the committee called for the President to declare a State of Emergency over the water and sanitation crisis by 31 December 2026.

The proposed declaration would pave the way for urgent intervention to address the country’s deteriorating wastewater infrastructure and protect communities and critical water sources from further pollution.

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