HARARE'S LEAKING SUBURB

Mpundu Valerie

Southerton is not short of water. It’s short of pipes that work.

Every week, at least 2 burst pipes turn roads into rivers. Drive 500 meters and you’ll count 3 more. Fix one street today, the next one bursts tomorrow if not the next hour. This is not an occasional fault. This is daily. This is systemic. Residents have stopped complaining. They’ve adapted to flooding, to wasted water, to rusted infrastructure bleeding onto tar. But adaptation is not a solution.

Authorities call it "aging infrastructure." Residents call it neglect. At this rate, Southerton isn’t a residential area. It’s a case study in water loss. Thousands of litres lost. Roads damaged. Bills unpaid. The streets are swimming.

"Maybe Southerton is a mini Waterfalls" It’s a joke. But it’s also the truth.

Until the pipes are replaced, not patched, the floods will continue....& so will the questions.

Harare Water Infrastructure Failure

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