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Fatima Bulla-Musakwa
Herald Reporter
The Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme is aiding local communities, who now have horticulture gardens keeping them going in the face of severe water shortages due to the El Nino-induced drought.
In Masvingo Central constituency alone, at least 50 boreholes have been repaired, and six new ones drilled. The constituency covers 10 wards.
The El Nino phenomenon, a warm equatorial counter-current in the central Pacific pushes wind patterns around the world and Southern Africa this produces prolonged dry spells,.
As a result, the low rainfalls impacted crop production, harvests plummeted leaving more than 2,7 million people grappling with food insecurity this year. While the Government has stepped in with food aid for far more families, there is still the need for fresh vegetables and income to replace what would normally be earned from crop sales.
For Masvingo Central communities, the Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme stands as a beacon of resilience, bridging the gap between water scarcity and food security in Masvingo Province where much of the land, especially in the south, is in natural region five.
Households on communal lands in the better watered regions grow maize and millet for food and some cash crops such as cotton. Crop yields are extremely low and the risk of crop failure is high in one out of three years.
Community members in Ward 23 and 34 of Masvingo Central have thus shifted their focus to horticulture produce maximising on the boreholes drilled under the Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme. These gardens serve as an alternative source of sustenance, aiming to alleviate hunger within households.
By setting their sight on cultivating fruits, vegetables, and herbs, residents are taking proactive steps to secure their livelihoods. Last Thursday, the drilling of a borehole in Ward 23 sparked joy and relief among community members.
Ms Tracy Machemedze expressed her elation, stating, “Ward 23 is full of joy these days.”
These timely installations followed meetings with the Member of Parliament Cde Edson Zvobgo (Junior) who during his visit to the constituency engaged the villagers. A recurring complaint echoed by those gathered in Ward 23 and 34 a fortnight ago was the lack of food in their households due to the prolonged dry spell.
“We are currently relying on water from Tokwe Mukosi Dam,” lamented Gogo Locadia Mudzingwa. You marked the site for borehole drilling here, but it’s taking time, and the children have already removed the sign,” she said prior to the borehole being drilled.
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