Chronicle Editor
Amanda Mlevu, Sunday News Reporter
MORE than 2 000 households in Bubi District, Matabeleland North Province are set to benefit from three solar powered boreholes that were drilled by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (Rida) in partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints as efforts to improve provision of water and sanitation in the rural communities gathers steam.
The boreholes were drilled in Inyathi, Maqaqeni, and Broom communities and were commissioned last week. Rida head of department Mr Vusisizwe Ncube said they realised that the district received very little rainfall and was characterised by acute water shortages and drought.
“Bubi District is located in Matabeleland North Province under ecological regions four and five where access to safe clean water is a major challenge. From the three boreholes 1 500 households will benefit from the township and Maqaqeni borehole, 302 households for Broom, and 461 households for Mahlabathini,” he said.
A memorandum of understanding was signed by Bubi Rural District Council and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with the scope of the agreement being improving education, healthcare, livelihood projects, and provision of safe and clean water to the villagers.
During the commissioning of the three boreholes,president of the Chiefs Council in Zimbabwe Senator Chief Mtshane Khumalo who was the guest of honour said he was elated with the development. He said the provision of water was an important step towards realising the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1)’s goals of having an upper-middle income economy by 2030.
He applauded the work done by Rida in Bubi and highlighted that it was gratifying to see that kind of development in the district that seek to improve people’s standards of life.
“What Rida is doing for the community is very important and we say well done for taking such a step in changing people’s lives, especially in terms of water and sanitation. As the community, we should do away with the norm of plundering Government resources and act to complement them,” he said.
He praised area councillors, Thembani Khumalo and Ignatius Khabo for helping the people with projects to the extent of forking money out of their pockets to make the projects a success.
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