By Kudzaishe Chimonera
Residents’ organisations have called for tougher enforcement of environmental laws and urgent legal reforms to curb water pollution, warning that contamination of rivers and dams is posing a growing threat to public health, water security and livelihoods in Harare and across Zimbabwe.
The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) said industrial pollution, untreated sewage and weak enforcement of environmental regulations had contributed to deteriorating water quality in the capital and the Upper Manyame Catchment.
Addressing journalists, CHRA Programmes Manager Marbel Murambiwa described water pollution as one of the city’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges.
“Water pollution remains the most pressing public health and ecological issue in Harare and the Upper Manyame Catchment area,” she said.
Murambiwa said industries continued to discharge untreated effluent into water bodies, while ageing sewer infrastructure in areas including Crowborough, Firle and Chitungwiza was worsening the situation.
She said research conducted by the residents’ association had identified weaknesses in Zimbabwe’s water pollution management system, including fragmented legislation, weak regulatory oversight, overlapping institutional responsibilities and inadequate enforcement.
“In Zimbabwe, it is often cheaper for industries to pollute rather than comply with the environmental water laws,” she said.
Murambiwa argued that residents were ultimately paying the price for pollution through higher water treatment costs.
She noted that the City of Harare had increased water tariffs this year, with charges in high-density suburbs rising from US$1.24 to US$1.89 per cubic metre, while rates in low-density areas increased from US$1.70 to US$2.34 per cubic metre.
According to CHRA, an estimated 250 million litres of untreated sewage enter Lake Chivero every day, increasing pollution in the capital’s main water source and affecting communities that depend on the lake.
The organisation also warned residents against purchasing fish caught in Lake Chivero following concerns over contamination.
“We call upon residents of Harare to stop buying contaminated fish from Lake Chivero, as this has serious health consequences,” Murambiwa said.
The Zimbabwe United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (ZURRA) said water pollution had evolved into a national challenge affecting all seven of Zimbabwe’s catchment areas.
The alliance attributed the problem to industrial pollution, unsustainable mining activities and environmental degradation, warning that continued contamination of rivers and dams could deepen water insecurity across the country.
“Water pollution remains a big threat to water security in Zimbabwe and in the region, which calls for robust reforms in the water, mining and environmental sectors,” the organisation said.
ZURRA also criticised what it described as fragmented water governance, arguing that overlapping institutional mandates had created accountability gaps and weakened enforcement against polluters.
“We therefore call upon the Parliament of Zimbabwe to expedite the long-overdue reform and harmonization of Zimbabwe’s water and environmental laws,” the alliance said.
Both organisations urged Parliament to fast-track reforms to water and environmental legislation, strengthen regulatory oversight and impose tougher penalties on industries, mining companies and local authorities responsible for polluting the country’s water resources.
They said stronger enforcement and coordinated action would be critical to protecting public health, safeguarding water supplies and ensuring Zimbabwe’s long-term environmental sustainability.
