Zimbabwe’s capital has closed its water plant due to lack of funds to purchase water treatment chemicals, forcing residents to rely on open and untreated water sources. Grace Kufakunesu, a 38-year-old mother of three, says she has been relying on open water sources for her household chores for months. Michael Chideme, the spokesman for Harare, says the closure of its water plant was due to a lack of water treatment chemicals, Sept. 23, 2019. (C.Mavhunga/VOA)”What happens is on our side, our budget for water is now exhausted,” Chideme said. “We have approached [the] government to appraise [the] government of the need to support the water sector, to declare it an emergency so that funding partners can also come onboard and assist the city in the long-term projects.”For years, rights groups have accused the government of prioritizing matters such as foreign trips and luxury vehicles for senior officials, neglecting issues like health care, education and water supplies.In 2008, lack of water treatment chemicals resulted in about 5,000 deaths from cholera. It was only after the intervention of U.N. agencies, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the European Union that the disease was contained.Now with the water plant closed in Harare, residents of the capital fear that might happen again.
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