Chemicals chew 56pc water budget

MORE than a half of what Harare City Council spends on trying to get water to residents and businesses is spent on water treatment chemicals, and the bulk of that cash goes to waste or can never be reclaimed along with the bulk of the treated water through pipe bursts and illegal connections that miss out a functioning meter.

Some chemicals can be replaced with cheaper alternatives that work just as well, but cutting costs by fixing leaks and making sure all water supplied is paid for will have the most effect.

About 62 percent of Harare’s treated water is going to waste or is being used without being paid for, burdening ratepayers that are footing the bill with the water treatment chemicals on their monthly rates.

It is easy to find obvious major leaks of treated water, for example at Warren Park 1 shops just behind Total Service Station last week there was a burst that was unattended for three days.

Along Lytton Road opposite Rugare, there was another pipe burst unattended for days.
And on Saturday, there was a major fountain in Coronation Avenue in Greendale sending water into the stream running through the heart of the suburb.

In its 2022 budget presentation, the local authority said its analysis showed that the city was losing more than a half of its treated water.

“Water provision, analysis of recurrent expenditure shows that chemicals constitute 56 percent of the general expenses of the water services, which is an unsustainable position,” reads the budget document. Recommendations are that council use alternative cheaper treatment chemicals.”

According to the budget, the city is delivering an average of 375 megalitres per day against a demand of over 1 000 megalitres. This results in intermittent supply.

“Unfortunately, not all the water produced is billed as a substantial percentage is lost through water bursts and metering issues thus non-revenue water is currently at 62 percent,” the budget statement states.

“This scenario means that the city is only accounting for 38 percent of what it produces.” Harare City Council said the proposed budget will reduce non-revenue water through a number of interventions: pipe replacement, proper water metering and accurate billing.

“We also intend to expedite the utilisation of alternative water treatment chemicals such as chlorine dioxide, which will assist in reducing the cost of treating water,” reads the budget statement.-The Herald