Water trickles back into Harare

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Harare - Water began trickling again from taps in Zimbabwe's capital Harare on Tuesday, a day after supplies were shut down completely, forcing major sections of business and state administration to close.

Residents in a few suburbs and in the central business district reported that water was flowing at low pressure.

"At last I can flush the loo," said Girlie Matandwa soon after she arrived in her city centre office. "It stank yesterday and we couldn't use it so we all had to go home."

Most areas, however, remained dry and residents had to forage from manholes, stagnant pools, open standpipes in areas that had water and from neighbours with boreholes and swimming pools.

The government-run Zimbabwe National Water Authority said it was forced to stop pumping into the water reticulation system for the city's estimated two million residents when purification chemicals ran out.

The city's main source of water, Lake Chivero, just west of the city, has tons of raw effluent pumped into it because Harare's sewage treatment works - also run by ZINWA - has collapsed.

The state-controlled daily Herald quoted Tsungirai Shoriwa, spokesperson for ZINWA as saying that "some chemicals" had been delivered on Monday, allowing pumping to resume later to the city centre and a few other areas.

"Other areas are expected to start accessing water as the week progresses, but it depends on the availability of chemicals," he said.

Observers said the shutdown of the capital's water supplies marked a new low in the country's plunge into ruin amidst an economic crisis that has left at least four million people in need of food aid, a cholera outbreak that has claimed 484 lives according to the United Nations, and the closure of state schools and hospitals.

On Monday, angry soldiers rioted in the city centre after they were unable to draw their pay from banks, in a sign of discontent in the army that is usually seen as supportive of 84-year-old President Robert Mugabe.

State media have made no reference to the violence since it occurred. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA