Water woes and safety risk: A case of Greater Harare

The past years have seen a rise in organizations/ researchers/utilities raising awareness on  water security issues. Many countries worldwide are faced with severe water scarcity arising from the effects of climate change, rapid population growth, economic growth (increase in water uses) and urban sprawl, among other things. Urban areas, particularly those from developing countries, face even bigger challenges as most water utilities are failing to provide adequate water supply and sanitation to their residents. In addition to the aforementioned challenges, developing cities are further faced with i) ageing infrastructure, which leads to water and revenue losses; ii) rural to urban migration which results in urban sprawl, iii) growth in informal settlements, and iv) water theft or illegal connections. All these factors exacerbate the water challenges. Often, municipalities struggle to cope and end up having a backlog in connecting new places, maintaining existing water infrastructure and attending to faults.  

Photo courtesy of Herald Zimbabwe

This is all prevalent in Greater Harare, where some areas that have been existent for more than 10 years still do not have water reticulation. Contrary to a common belief that the poor services are only found in informal settlements and high-density suburbs, the City of Harare's low and medium density suburbs such as Borrowdale, Mt Pleasant, Msasa Park, Zimre Park etc., also face the same challenge. To address this challenge, residents have now resorted to buying water from water tankers, drilling boreholes, using hand-dug wells or community boreholes. As such, the 5000 L "Jojo" tank is now a typical feature on most properties. Several water delivery companies offer services at approximately US$ 40 to US$50 per 5000L. While many studies tend to focus on the water quality and health implications of poor access to water, there is one aspect that is often overlooked. That is,  the potential safety risk associated with water tankers. 

Recently, Zimbabwe has experienced sad fatalities as a result of water tankers. Two children from  Chitungwiza lost their lives after a poorly installed water tank fell on them whilst they were playing. The third one suffered a fractured leg.  In a separate incident in September, a bulk water delivery truck driver killed two teenagers' in Borrowdale. A few years ago, my neighbour's tank fell and damaged part of the roof in Crowhill Views. The first and third incident points out to the challenges of technical know-how on the proper installation of tank stands. There is no technical support to provide guidelines on proper installation. Neither are there policies to provide standards and procedures to be met when installing these water tanks. 

According to their website, Jojo tank advises that vertical tanks should ideally be installed on a 100% level, solid concrete slab of no less than 85mm thick. And that the slab should be at least 100mm wider than the diameter of the tank to avoid any overhang. It is also recommended to buy ready-made steel tanks, expertly designed by structural engineers. The stands are available in variable sizes, ranging from 1.5m to 9m.  It is recommended to always seek professional assistance to avoid accidents. Most importantly, it would be great for municipalities to raise awareness on this issue and provide technical guidelines on their websites and/or other information platforms or distribute them among communities. 

Let us all do our part to avoid damage to people, properties and animals!