The fight for Harare’s water lifeline has spilled into the courts. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has taken the Harare City Council (HCC) to the High Court, accusing it of neglecting a collapsing sewage network that continues to poison Lake Chivero — the capital’s main water source.
EMA spokesperson Amkela Sidange confirmed the application was lodged in June and followed years of warnings and penalties. “Since 2021, nine tickets and environmental protection orders have been issued to the Harare City Council for the continued discharge of raw sewage into Lake Chivero,” she said.
The latest order, dated 3 October 2025, directs council to urgently repair sewer bursts in Kambuzuma, Budiriro, Glen View and Rugare, and replace damaged stream pipes near Chiremba Road.
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The lawsuit marks a breaking point after repeated failures by the city to fix its waste-reticulation system. Environmentalists say untreated effluent continues to pour into the Mukuvisi, Marimba and Manyame Rivers — tributaries that feed directly into Chivero. The contamination has created thick algal blooms, reduced oxygen levels, and triggered periodic fish and bird deaths around the lake.
Lake Chivero’s depth has fallen from 28 metres to just 18 as silt and sludge accumulate. Water from the lake now costs millions to purify, yet residents still complain of murky taps and recurring outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases. This is not only a public-health emergency but an ecological one, says Gary Stafford, owner of Kuimba Shiri Bird Sanctuary. Together with the Zimbabwe Wildlife Africa Trust, Stafford has filed a separate US$86,000 suit against HCC for losses linked to contamination.
Past efforts to outsource or privatise parts of the city’s water-treatment system have drawn controversy, with questions raised over the transparency of “clean-up” contracts and the sustainability of private interventions. Critics fear such deals may prioritise looting over environmental recovery and service delivery, unless strictly regulated.
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