Zimbabwe: Improved water supply for over 10,000 people at prison complex

Harare (ICRC) – Over 10,000 people at Chikurubi Prison Complex in the outskirts of Harare are now benefitting from an improved supply of clean water following the commissioning of repairs and upgrades to water infrastructure there.

"Addressing the needs of inmates by upgrading critical infrastructure in prisons run by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), such as the water supply system at Chikurubi Prison Complex, has been one of our top priorities since we began working with the ZPCS in 2009," said Thomas Merkelbach, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Zimbabwe. "We are privileged to have implemented this phase of a longer-term effort together with the authorities and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA)."

In 2012, the ICRC, ZPCS and ZINWA reached an agreement on improving the water supply at Chikurubi Prison Complex. That was the outcome of an assessment that highlighted the need to sustainably increase the supply available to both the inmates and the officers and their dependents living at the complex. Three boreholes were drilled and equipped by the ICRC. These were connected to ZINWA reservoirs through pipes laid by the ZPCS from the pump houses they built. The ZPCS and ZINWA will henceforth be responsible for the operational maintenance of the water supply system.

For further information, please contact:
Tendayi Sengwe, ICRC Harare, tel: +263 772240960 or +263 4790268