Zimbabwe: Growing Thirst

ZIMBABWE

Growing Thirst

Two million people in Zimbabwe’s capital were left without water after the government ran out of foreign currency to pay for imported water treatment chemicals, forcing officials to shut down the city’s waterworks Monday.

The new crisis is another marker in the country’s ailing economy, which has been dealing with hyperinflation and shortages of essential imported commodities including wheat and fuel, the Telegraph reported Tuesday.

Harare’s acting mayor Enock Mupamawonde said that pumping was originally scheduled to resume on Tuesday after the government managed to procure a week’s worth of chemicals from local suppliers.

He warned, however, that the services might not last long.

Harare residents have relied on hand-pumped municipal or informal boreholes, where lines can last for hours.

Meanwhile, Zimbabweans have endured months of drought, which has dried up rivers across southern Africa. The situation is heightening the risk of water-borne diseases.

Now, officials are scrambling to avoid a repeat of a cholera epidemic following a water shortage a decade ago that killed 4,000.