Zimbabwe Water Watch

ZINWA — Zimbabwe National Water Authority

ZINWA is the national body responsible for water resource management. It controls the country's major dams, including Kariba, Mutirikwi (Kyle), Manyame, and dozens more. ZINWA supplies bulk treated water to urban authorities and raw water to commercial users.

ZINWA publishes periodic dam level reports. Their data is the authoritative source for national reservoir status.

City of Harare Water vs ZINWA

There is an important distinction between ZINWA (national authority) and the City of Harare (municipal authority). The City of Harare operates its own water treatment works — most notably the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant — and is responsible for distributing water to Harare residents.

ZINWA supplies raw water from dams; the City of Harare treats it and moves it through the reticulation network. Breakdowns at either level affect supply. This is why Harare can experience shortages even when dam levels are adequate — chemical shortages at treatment plants, pump failures, and ageing pipe infrastructure are all local problems independent of dam levels.

Why Harare has chronic water shortages

Harare's water crisis has structural causes that have compounded over decades:

• Population growth — the city's population has expanded far faster than water infrastructure investment.
• Ageing pipes — much of the reticulation network dates to the colonial era. High leakage rates mean a significant proportion of treated water never reaches consumers.
• Chemical shortages — Morton Jaffray and other treatment plants require chemicals (alum, chlorine) that are periodically unavailable due to foreign currency shortages.
• Electricity cuts — pumping stations are vulnerable to load-shedding. ZESA power cuts directly reduce pumping capacity.
• Billing and revenue collection — insufficient rate collection undermines the city's ability to fund maintenance and chemicals.