HARARE – Residents across Harare should prepare for water disruptions after the City of Harare announced that the entire city will be affected by a temporary shutdown of water production on Thursday, July 9.
By Advent Shoko
According to the City Council, the interruption will be caused by a planned power outage at Morton Jaffray Water Works, where the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) will carry out scheduled works.
Power at the country’s largest water treatment plant will be switched off between 10:00am and 1:00pm, bringing water production to a complete halt during that period.
“This serves to inform residents that the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is planning to carry out work at Morton Jaffray Water Works on Thursday 09 July 2026. They will switch off power between 1000hrs and 1300hrs. As a result, no water production will take place during that period, thus affecting water supply to the whole city,” the City of Harare said in a public notice.
The council apologised for the inconvenience but did not disclose the nature of the maintenance work ZESA intends to undertake.
“Any inconveniences caused are sincerely regretted,” the notice added.
Residents Urged to Store Water
Although the power outage is scheduled to last three hours, residents may experience longer water shortages as reservoirs refill and pressure gradually returns across the city’s distribution network.
Areas already struggling with intermittent water supplies could face extended delays before normal service resumes.
Residents are therefore encouraged to store enough water for drinking, cooking, sanitation and other household needs ahead of Thursday’s shutdown.
Businesses, schools, health facilities and other institutions that rely heavily on municipal water are also advised to make contingency plans.
Morton Jaffray Water Works is Harare’s main water treatment plant, supplying treated water to millions of residents across the capital.
Whenever production is suspended, even briefly, the effects are often felt citywide as the distribution system requires time to recover after pumping resumes.
With no water production expected between 10:00am and 1:00pm on Thursday, residents are being urged not to wait until taps run dry before making preparations.
The City of Harare says normal water production will resume once electricity supply is restored following the completion of ZESA’s scheduled works.
Leave a Reply