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Catholic Commission Urges Zimbabwe to Declare Clean Water Emergency


The Catholic Commission says many residents in Harare and other cities rely on unsafe water sources such as shallow wells, ponds, and dams, which can lead to “suffering and deaths” from waterborne diseases

The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace has urged the Zimbabwean government to declare chronic water shortages a national disaster to speed up mobilization of emergency assistance to provide clean water to end typhoid outbreaks in Harare, the capital.

The Catholic Commission says many residents in Harare and other urban centers rely on unsafe water sources such as shallow wells, ponds, and dams, which can lead to “suffering and deaths” from waterborne diseases.

A cholera epidemic that raged in Zimbabwe from August 2008 to mid-2009 claimed some 4,200 lives, largely due to widespread contamination of drinking water supplies.

Water Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo told reporter Sithandekile Mhlanga that the government acknowledges the water shortages and outbreaks of waterborne diseases in the country and is working tirelessly to remedy the situation before declaring a national disaster.

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