Harare

Harare has expanded beyond its established serviced areas while water, sewerage, roads and drainage have suffered from ageing infrastructure and maintenance shortfalls. The result is a capital where urban growth and basic service reliability are increasingly disconnected, particularly in peripheral neighbourhoods and areas dependent on overstretched networks.

Zimbabwe’s multi-donor infrastructure programmes have rehabilitated water and sanitation systems in Harare, while broader urban water projects seek to restore treatment, pumping and distribution capacity. These interventions are essential but their long-term value depends on land-use decisions. Continued outward expansion increases the length and cost of networks that already require major renewal. Harare’s future development therefore needs to combine infrastructure rehabilitation with more disciplined serviced growth, ensuring that new housing is aligned with realistic water, sanitation and transport capacity.