Newsday in Zimbabwe reports that the Harare Residents’ Trust says the water crisis in Harare is a violation of the human right to water.
The news report says, “Most parts of Harare have run dry with numerous suburbs having gone for months without water, leaving residents scavenging for the precious liquid from unprotected wells. This has created a cholera scare reminiscent of the 2008 era when an estimated 6,000 people contracted the disease, with hundreds succumbing to the pandemic. According to the Harare City Council, the water crisis is a result of aged infrastructure, pipe leakages and demand that has out-stripped supply.”
Harare Residents’ Trust membership officer Simbarashe Majamanda says, “This is an issue that is affecting residents who have no reasons to pay for services not rendered. We are concerned about issues to do with water supply. It’s a violation of the human right to (fail to provide) 20 litres of water a day and council has to prioritise water.”
Founded in February 2008 by a Zimbabwean journalist, Precious Shumba, the HRT was established to advocate for effective representation of residents of Harare Metropolitan Province in local governance issues. You can read more about them at http://www.hrt.org.zw/.
The Newsday article is at http://www.newsday.co.zw/article/2011-09-22-harare-runs-dry.
For more on the Council of Canadians/ Blue Planet Project campaign for the implementation of the right to water and sanitation, please see http://canadians.org/rtw.
