By Elishamai A. Ziumbwa
Water advocacy group Community Water Alliance (CWA) has raised the alarm over the country’s worsening water losses calling for urgent reforms to address obsolete infrastructure and water pollution across Africa.
In an exclusive interview with 263chat, Community Water Alliance director Hardlife Mudzingwa said 60% of water produced in Harare generates no revenue with more than half of that lost through leaking pipes and decaying infrastructure.
“Within the city of Harare, 60% of the water produced is not contributing any revenue to the city, and 35% of that is due to physical losses from outdated infrastructure. We must commit to reducing non-revenue water across Africa to below 20% to improve water availability and curb cholera outbreaks,” Mudzingwa said
The call comes amid rising concerns over water borne diseases and long-standing water challenges exacerbated by poor infrastructure, pollution and climate change.
Mudzingwa called on African governments to adopt stricter drinking water safety standards and to improve wastewater management pointing to pollution from mining operations and wastewater treatment plants as major threats to water security.
“Africa is rich in resources, but mining operations — particularly by multinational corporations are polluting our water sources. There’s an urgent need to ensure these companies respect groundwater and surface water resources,” he said.
The advocacy group is also advocating for investment in climate-resilient water infrastructure to support economic growth, particularly for agriculture in agro-based economies like Zimbabwe.
“We must build infrastructure that supports clean energy and climate resilience. Coal-powered systems are not sustainable,” Mudzingwa said
He highlighted the need for improved irrigation and water systems for farming and livestock.
Transboundary water governance also emerged as a key concern with Mudzingwa citing the Zambezi River, which originates in Angola as an example of how poor coordination can spark regional disputes.
“If we don’t manage upstream catchments properly, countries downstream suffer, harmonising water legislation across African nations is essential,” he said.
