
HARARE – Former Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba has called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare the contamination of Lake Chivero a state of national disaster, citing the need for urgent intervention to address the far-reaching effects of water poisoning.
Lake Chivero, the primary water source for Harare’s residents, has been at the centre of a public outcry following a weekend exposé by investigative journalist Mary Taruvinga of NewZimbabwe.com.
The lake’s contamination has claimed the lives of four white rhinos, numerous other wildlife species, livestock, and birds, according to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks). Testing revealed that the deaths were caused by cyanobacteria-contaminated water, which has been linked to the ongoing discharge of untreated sewage into the lake by Harare City Council.
A recent visit to the lake painted a grim picture: thousands of dead fish scattered along a kilometre-long stretch, layers of rotting carcasses, and visibly distressed aquatic life. The water had turned green due to an algae bloom and emitted a foul odour, with the stench of decomposing fish and sewage polluting the surrounding air.
Gomba: “The City Needs Government Intervention”
In a Wednesday night X Space discussion, Gomba argued that the Harare City Council lacks the capacity to address the crisis on its own and urged the central government to step in.
“The city needs to be assisted, but it must be done within the law,” said Gomba. “My proposal is for the president to declare a state of national disaster. The entire water distribution system requires rehabilitation, and this has been a disaster for too long. We need a holistic approach to revamp the entire system.”
Gomba also attributed the crisis to decades of governmental failure, singling out the late former president Robert Mugabe and his administration for neglecting critical infrastructure projects.
“From 1980 to now, the government has failed to address these issues. Harare was supposed to get water from Kunzvi and Musami dams by 1990, which would have allowed Lake Chivero to be decommissioned for cleaning,” he said. “Instead, the failure to construct these dams has left the city reliant on a decayed system that urgently needs investment.”
Broader Implications
The former mayor stressed that addressing the contamination crisis will require significant financial investment to overhaul Harare’s water and sewer systems. He also highlighted the need for similar interventions in surrounding areas like Norton to prevent further ecological damage.
In response to the crisis, the government has banned fishing operations in Lake Chivero to allow investigations to proceed. ZimParks has relocated the remaining rhinos from Lake Chivero Recreational Park to safer locations as a precautionary measure.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, meanwhile, announced plans for a fact-finding visit, with outcomes expected to guide the council’s next steps. Mafume has blamed the disaster on a combination of factors, including outdated infrastructure and sewage runoff from informal settlements.
The unfolding environmental disaster at Lake Chivero underscores the urgent need for coordinated action to protect the health and livelihoods of Harare residents while preserving the region’s fragile ecosystem.