Untreated sewage makes its way into Harare's drinking water
The dumping of untreated sewage into Lake Chivero, the main water supply dam of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, has finally caught up with the authorities, with an upsurge in cases of diarrhoea and dysentery in the city.
Sewage flows out near the railway tracks at the railway station in Harare (Photo: Combined Harare Residents' Association)
Harare's 60 public clinics are attending to more than 900 cases of diarrhoea every day, according to City Health Director Prosper Chonzi. He told IRIN he had ordered the clinics to treat patients free of charge to try and halt the spread of infection.
Zimbabwe's cash-strapped public infrastructure is in a state of disrepair. Unable to raise money to overhaul Harare's sewerage treatment plant, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has diverted untreated human waste into Lake Chivero, the city's main source of water.
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