A photostory on a sewage plant in Norton Town, Zimbabwe by photographer Tafadzwa Ufumeli.

1. Sewage plant in Norton,
Zimbabwe
Photos taken in 2023 by Tafadzwa Ufumeli

2. Background story
• In early 2017, IRC did an urban sanitation assignment for
Welthungerhilfe (WHH) in Norton Town, Zimbabwe.
• Norton is a small town 40 km from the capital city Harare and has a
population of approximately 83,000 people.
• The sewer network of the town was constructed in the 1950s and was
out of order in 2017. A refurbishment was scheduled to take place
with financial support from WHH. The plant is functional but slowly
deteriorating.
• In 2023, Ton Schouten Award winner and photographer Tafadzwa
Ufumeli visited the plant and took photos.

3. Norton sewage
plant from the
air in 2023

4. Norton treatment
plant
It is a conventional treatment plant
consisting of:
• intake works with coarse and fine bar
screens,
• grit screening and flow measuring
and flow diversion facilities,
• primary sewage clarifiers; biological
trickling filters; humus tanks; holding
ponds for treated wastewater
awaiting disposal; and sludge drying
beds.

5. Sewage pipe in Norton in 2017 and in 2023
This photo was taken during the assignment in
2017 by Erick Baetings, IRC.
Only recently (early 2023) did the Norton Town
Council fix the leak.

6. Parts of the pipelines have been repaired/replaced and therefore the sewage plant
functionality has increased.

8. Holding pond for
(partially) treated sewage

9. Drying beds (not in use?)

10. From the Norton Plant the faecal
wastewater goes directly to farms
nearby.