By Own Correspondent- Harare City Council has revealed that the local water authority’s water production levels are depressed adding that available chlorine gas can only last the next two days.

Said Harare City Council in a statement:

“We have enhanced engagement with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe over the timely release of forex to companies that import water treatment chemicals from South Africa and China. Currently our water production is very depressed.

We are managing only 100 million litres against a daily average of 450 million litres. Our available stocks of chlorine gas can only last us for two days.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has promised to release an initial US$150 000 towards the importation of chlorine gas. We use a tonne of chlorine gas daily. Chlorine is used as a disinfectant to kill bacteria in the water.

The City requires US$3 million every month for the purchase of water purification chemicals.

The other chemicals we use are activated carbon for removing odours, alum sulphate and sodium silicate for removing solid particles, lime for pH regulation, sulphiric acid to reduce pH, HTH for removing algae and ammonia for chlorine retentionin the reticulation system.

Stocks of the other chemicals are also at depressed levels.