Harare [Zimbabwe], February 10: Zimbabwe's capital city Harare announced Thursday that it had stopped producing potable water on Wednesday midnight for lack of water treatment chemicals, leaving more than 2 million residents without safe water.
A notice published by Harare City Council said that due to "critically low stocks of aluminium sulphate," water production had been reduced to stretch valuable stocks on Wednesday.
"This means that we will be running out of the product and ceasing operation around midnight today," said the council.
Harare residents have endured water shortages for several years because of limitations by the city to pump water, and a huge percent of treated water is also lost through leakages in the reticulation system.
The shutdown also comes at a time when the city is grappling with diarrhoeal diseases.
Source: Xinhua