Water Scarcity Crisis
1 October 2019
Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, shut down its main water works on 23 September citing shortages of foreign currency to import chemicals required for water treatment. The situation may not only lead to a severe water shortage for the population, but also increases the risks of diseases carried by contaminated water, such as cholera.
Enock Mupamawonde, Harare’s deputy mayor has issued a statement claiming the city would need at least 2.7 million US dollars monthly to buy the water treatment chemicals, but it was only collecting about a third of that in revenue.
Foreign currency shortages have forced the city council to shut down the water supply. He added that he saw little hope of any change in the situation in the near future unless the government introduces emergency measures.
Cape Town’s historic water crisis was a wake-up call for the entire world. Something that had previously been unimaginable happened. If the targets set in the Paris Agreement are not reached, there is reason to fear that many other major cities could suffer a similar fate within a few decades. The example of Cape Town is a timely warning that chronic water shortages are already just around the corner.
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