Harare – A power failure at the Morton Jaffray water treatment plant caused a disruption in water supply to most parts of the city on Tuesday, the Harare City Council said in a statement.
The plant, which supplies about 70% of the city’s water needs, lost power at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday and only resumed pumping at 3:30 p.m. after power was restored, the statement said.
The council said it was in consultation with the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) to repair the dedicated Norton feeder, which provides a reliable power supply to the plant.
The power failure affected the northern, eastern and south-western suburbs of the city, leaving residents without water for most of the day. The southern suburbs, which are supplied from the Prince Edward waterworks, were not affected.
The council said water supplies were starting to improve as some of the suburbs were now receiving water. However, some areas, such as Borrowdale, Mt. Pleasant, Greendale, Mabvuku and Tafara, were still without water.
The council also provided the water transmission figures from the treatment plants to the reservoirs and pump stations, which showed a reduced output due to the power failure.
The council apologized to the residents for the inconvenience caused by the water disruption and urged them to use water sparingly. It also advised residents to boil water before drinking or cooking, as the quality of water may be compromised by the power failure.