Harare city council says current water shortages were as a result of a natural phenomenon being caused by sudden weather changes at Lake Chivero, the capital’s main water supply dam.
An urgent notice by Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango said Lake Chivero was being affected by a ‘lake turn,’ a natural phenomenon that occurs when warm water at the bottom of a lake rises to the top.
This happens when there is a sudden change in weather such as a cold front.
“The City of Harare wishes to advise that due to the sudden weather change that happened last night (12 September 2023) the water supply dam, Lake Chivero, experienced a "lake turn" phenomenon.
“This happens when warm water at the bottom of the lake rises to the top of the water body where water for treatment is abstracted.”
“This phenomenon brings the dirty water to the abstraction point (the level where water is drawn from the lake to the treatment works for treatment),” he said.
Chisango said they had to shut down the plant to allow for adjustment of abstraction levels to draw better quality raw water for treatment.
Water supplies are expected to normalize from tomorrow, he added.
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