Water challenges in the Glen View suburb of the capital city Harare has witnessed the emergence of water vendors who are selling water to residents. The vendors who use push carts to carry water from various water points are making a killing on daily basis. A 20 litre bucket of water is charged ZWL$0 – 30 with five buckets demanding US$1. This is in addition to water tariffs charged by the local authority. The City demands a fixed water charge from every resident plus the charge of the water consumed. The authority is failing to provide clean water regularly to residents. Most high density suburbs are getting water three days per week with some spending the whole night filling their containers.
The water vendors are making a killing on the residents who want water for cooking, bathing and laundry. Women and young girls are the most affected by the water challenges and the extra costs of acquiring water. Residents are pleading with the Harare City Council to deal with water reticulation challenges at the Morton Jeffry Water Works the source of Harare’s drinking water. Day in day out the water works is down and taps are dry. They are also urging the authorities to increase water points in the form of boreholes to make them accessible to the old and the disabled.
