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 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶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. 
 
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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