HARARE
–
Three
City
of
Harare
employees
died
on
Wednesday
morning
in
a
workplace
incident
at
the
Morton
Jaffray
Water
Works
near
Norton,
officials
confirmed.
In
a
brief
statement,
the
council
said
the
trio
had
entered
a
decommissioned
water
clarifier
“when
tragedy
struck.”
It
gave
no
details
on
the
cause
of
death,
saying
an
investigation
was
underway.
Council
sources
told
ZimLive
the
workers
“should
not
have
been
there.”
“The
water
clarifier
is
the
settling
tank
where
raw
water
from
the
lake
is
mixed
with
chemicals
in
a
process
called
sedimentation,”
said
one
official.
“This
one
was
out
of
use.
It’s
quite
possible
they
were
suffocated
by
toxic
gases
that
built
up
over
time,
perhaps
from
the
sludge.
One
worker
went
down
first
and
called
for
help.
The
other
two
followed,
but
the
gases,
whatever
they
are,
must
have
been
overpowering.”
Two
of
the
workers
died
at
the
scene.
The
third
was
pronounced
dead
on
arrival
at
hospital.
“We
extend
our
heartfelt
condolences
to
the
families,
friends,
and
loved
ones
affected
by
this
devastating
loss,”
the
city
said,
adding
that
water
production
and
quality
were
not
affected.
The
incident
comes
barely
three
months
after
two
City
of
Harare
employees
died
while
on
duty
at
the
municipality’s
Glen
View
sewer
treatment
plant,
in
what
was
suspected
exposure
to
hydrogen
sulfide
–
a
highly
poisonous
gas
that
smells
like
rotten
eggs
at
low
levels
but
deadens
the
sense
of
smell
at
higher
concentrations.
In
confined
spaces,
it
can
paralyse
the
lungs
within
minutes.
Other
gases
commonly
found
in
sewers
–
including
methane
and
carbon
dioxide
–
can
displace
oxygen
and
cause
suffocation,
while
high
levels
of
ammonia
may
lead
to
respiratory
failure.
In
November
2024,
two
council
workers
in
Gweru’s
Athlone
suburb
also
suffocated
after
entering
a
manhole
filled
with
noxious
gases.