Harare‘discovers’idle water pump 30 years on

Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda said engineers who were on a mission to assess the water supply situation in Harare discovered the pump.
Said Masunda: “When we were given powers to take over water supply in Harare, we conducted a due diligence exercise and sent engineers to Prince Edward water works where they discovered a new pump that has been idle for the past 30 years and it’s now being installed.
“We were surprised by the discovery. People thought it was a broken pump and therefore ignored it”
In January, the government decentralised the management of water from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority to local authorities with effect from February 1.
Prince Edward is the second largest water plant after Morton Jaffray and distributes water to both Harare and Chitungwiza.
Masunda said the council has secured US$19 million from United Nations Children’s Fund for the purchase of water treatment chemicals.
“The city has no shortage of water. Water is enough but (water) treatment chemicals and power supply are the major problems affecting our ability to meet the demand for water,” Masunda said.