COVID-19‘s Impacts on Cities: Insights on the Provision of Safe Water, Sanitation and Waste Management in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inadequacies of local authorities' planning frameworks and systems in the provision of potable water, sanitation and waste management in cities. Cities have been hotspots of COVID-19 due to rapid urbanisation and rising informal activities. Zimbabwean cities have struggled with water shortages evidenced by water shedding, incapacitation to acquire chemicals for water treatment, burst sewer outbreaks and blockages and inconsistent municipal waste disposal. Yet, the new normal apart from social distancing and wearing of masks calls for constant washing of hands and efficient waste management systems which help mitigate further spread of the virus. This chapter seeks to provide an overview of the impacts of COVID-19 on water provision, sanitation and waste management in Bulawayo, Masvingo and Mutare. This was a qualitative study which involved interviews with local authority officials, Department of Physical Planning officials, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA). The impacts of shortcomings on the provision of quality water, sanitation and waste management give a wakeup call to the local authorities on the need to adopt more environmentally friendly and sustainable management strategies. The chapter recommends improvement in water provision through adopting other sources such as water harvesting on a larger scale, recycling of waste water, centralised waste management strategies, conversion of waste into energy as well as improved urban planning and design approaches towards sanitation and waste management. The chapter further anticipates high lighting that COVID-19 crisis is instead an opportunity for planners, designers, engineers, policy makers and other stakeholders to transform Zimbabwean cities towards resilient, sustainable and smart cities. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.