After floods drench eastern Zimbabwe, water shortages parch Harare
Country is suffering from both floods and drought
As eastern Zimbabwe struggles with the aftermath of floods that have killed nearly 270 people and destroyed homes and roads, other parts of Zimbabwe are facing a very different crisis: too little water. Lake Chivero, the main source of water for the capital Harare, is at just 60% of its usual capacity at this time of year, following poor rains, said Richard Kunyadini, Harare city council’s water manager. The city’s two other dams, Harava and Seke, are just 7% full, he said. For residents such as Letwin Bhamusi, 43, that means water is now arriving through the pipes only once a week, under a new water rationing schedule put in place in early March by Harare’s authorities. Water rationing is nothing new in Harare — but it more commonly begins months later, residents say. Shortages, they say, hit the poor — who cannot afford to dig private wells — hardest. The cutbacks mean Bhamusi cannot water her garden, a source of vegetables for her family, and must now spend valuable time each day...
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