Parliament calls for State of Emergency over Harare sewage crisis as 80 megalitres of raw sewage enter Mukuvisi River daily

Harare is facing a public health crisis as raw sewage continues to flow into rivers feeding Lake Chivero, the capital’s main water source, a Parliamentary report has warned.

The Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife’s report on water pollution hotspots in Chitungwiza and Harare, tabled in July 2025 and released this week, paints a grim picture of the country’s deteriorating wastewater management system.

According to the report, Zimbabwe’s wastewater treatment infrastructure has largely collapsed, with only 20 of the country’s 63 sewage treatment plants currently functional.

The operational plants are discharging an estimated 570 megalitres of raw sewage every day, further worsening pollution levels in major rivers and water sources.

In Harare, the situation is particularly dire.

The city’s flagship Firle Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was designed to treat 144 megalitres per day, is currently processing only 54 megalitres, while the Crowborough plant is completely non-functional.