Staff Reporter
Harare residents face a potential water crisis as Zimbabwe Phosphate Industries (ZimPhos), the city's main supplier of water treatment chemicals, struggles to produce the chemicals due to a mounting debt owed by the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)-led Harare City Council.
According to a source within ZimPhos, the company is facing severe cash flow challenges due to non-payment by clients, with HCC owing the corporate entity US$2 million for aluminum sulphate, a key component in water purification.
This debt has crippled ZimPhos' operations, forcing the company to shut down two out of three plants and straining its ability to service the remaining one.
"The current rate of deliveries of aluminum sulphate to HCC is far greater than the rate of payment. We supply US$200,000 worth of the product per week but only receive US$88,000, putting immense pressure on our working capital for the plant," the source revealed.
The source warned that if the debt continued to rise, ZimPhos may be forced to stop supplying HCC altogether, leaving the city without the chemicals needed to treat raw water and potentially leading to service disruptions and the delivery of untreated water to residents.
"Continued non-payment might force us to reconsider our position as the Council's supplier. This would disrupt clean water delivery and leave residents exposed to raw, untreated water, potentially triggering another cholera outbreak," warned the source.
Additionally, the source added how settling the debt would allow ZimPhos to restart the non-operational plants, increasing alumin um sulphate production by 100% and ensuring the supply of clean water to residents. This, in turn, could help curb the prevalence of waterborne diseases like cholera, which has been a recurring concern in Harare.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged of HCC top leadership splurging on luxurious lifestyles while neglecting provision of critical services like refuse collection and clean water supplies.
This alleged profligacy has drawn sharp criticism, highlighting the council's misplaced priorities amidst pressing public health concerns.
The source's allegations paint a grim picture of financial mismanagement and its potential consequences for Harare's water security. With residents already facing water shortages and health risks, the onus is now on HCC to address the ZimPhos debt and prioritize responsible spending to ensure the city's water treatment infrastructure remains functional and residents have access to clean water.
