By Staff Reporter
HARARE – Preparations for the National Water Summit 2026 have been officially launched, with EcoVision warning that Zimbabwe’s worsening water pollution crisis now threatens economic stability and public health.
Speaking at a press briefing in Harare this week, EcoVision CEO Cleopatra Ngwenya Dube said the summit, scheduled for March 25 at the Harare Hippodrome, will seek to shift the national conversation “from diagnosis to implementation.”
“The Summit will be guided by the theme: ‘Water Pollution: Empowering the Economy through a Sustainable Water Resource Network.’ This theme speaks directly to one of the most pressing structural challenges confronting our nation,” said Dube
She described water as “the lifeblood of Zimbabwe’s economy, anchoring agriculture, mining, manufacturing, public health, and urban development,” warning that it is now “under unprecedented strain.”
Zimbabwe has endured severe water pollution in recent years, she said, resulting not only in tragic loss of life but also significant economic disruption
Contaminated water sources from mining activities, industrial discharge, and untreated sewage have “threatened livestock and agricultural productivity, undermined export standards and market competitiveness, increased public health risks, and escalated water purification costs for urban authorities,” said Dube
She pointed to the continued pollution of Lake Chivero as a case in point.
“For example, the pollution of Lake Chivero continues to place substantial financial pressure on the City of Harare, which must invest heavily in water treatment to provide safe potable water to residents,” she said
Dube said water insecurity should no longer be treated solely as an environmental issue.
“Water insecurity is therefore not merely an environmental concern; it is a national economic risk,” she said
According to Dube, the primary objective of the summit is to establish a “Safe Water Resource Network,” described as a coordinated, multi-sectoral framework that strengthens regulation, mobilises investment, and promotes accountability across water-dependent sectors
“This Summit is not simply a conference, it is a strategic national intervention,” she said.
“Water underpins food security, public health, industrial growth, investor confidence, and climate resilience, and safeguarding this critical resource is synonymous with safeguarding Zimbabwe’s future.”
The summit is being convened in formal partnership with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, and in collaboration with African Rivers, The OVO, and 149 Technologies Pte Ltd
Senior government officials, private sector leaders, financiers, and community stakeholders are expected to attend.
“We therefore call upon all stakeholders, government, private sector, development partners, civil society, academia, and the media to join us at the Water Summit, as we advance a unified and actionable water security agenda for our Nation,” Dube said
The National Water Summit 2026 will be held on March 25 in Harare.
