Chronicle Editor
Angela Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT is set to commission more dams to address water challenges countrywide to ensure that the agriculture sector does not suffer from the negative effects of drought.
Government has set aside $24 billion for dam construction as well as irrigation development across the country.
In his address commemorating World Water Day, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Douglas Karoro, said Government is making massive progress in dam construction countrywide.
“In the past years we have successfully completed and commissioned Marovanyati Dam in Buhera and Muchekeranwa Dam on the boundary of Mashonaland East and Manicaland provinces.
We are now on the verge of completing and commissioning Chivhu Dam and Water Treatment plant, while construction work is ongoing at Tuli-Manyange Dam in Matabeleland South, Vungu Dam in the Midlands Province, Gwayi-Shangani and Ziminya Dams in Matabeleland North as well as Semwa, Bindura, Silverstroom and the Dande Dam and Tunnel all in Mashonaland Central province. Construction is also underway at Kunzwi Dam in Mashonaland East in line with the Government’s thrust of inclusive growth,” he said.
World Water Day was set aside by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people living without access to safe water.
This year’s commemorations are under the theme: “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible.”
The theme is in recognition of the important role that groundwater plays in the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) which calls on all countries of the world to: “Ensure Availability and Sustainable Management of Water and Sanitation for All by 2030.”
Deputy Minister Karoro said the Zimbabwe National Water Authority is aiming at drilling boreholes in all villages in every province by 2025.
“We have embarked on a very ambitious but highly achievable journey to drill 35 000 boreholes in the country’s eight rural provinces by 2025. This means drilling a borehole for each of the 35 000 villages in the country by Zinwa (Zimbabwe National Water Authority).
“These 35 000 boreholes will anchor the recently launched Presidential Rural Horticulture Scheme wherein Zinwa will drill and equip boreholes, paving the way for the establishment of horticulture projects such as nutrition gardens, fish ponds, orchards, poultry and the provision of water for dip tanks and piped water for domestic needs,” he said.
He said the boreholes’ project will uplift communities through providing improved access to clean and safe water and enhance food security in the country.
“Government has also made significant investments into groundwater to help reduce and cover water supply gaps in our urban areas.
To this end, groundwater resources will play an enhanced role in the augmentation of water supplies to some of our towns such as Bulawayo.
“With depressed inflows into the city’s major raw water source in the form of Umzingwane Dam, the groundwater resources from Nyamandlovu and Epping Forest will provide the much-needed cover for the country’s second capital.
These groundwater resources have always augmented water supplies to Bulawayo as a short-term measure while the Government is working on bringing on board the long-term solution as espoused by the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project,” said Deputy Minister Karoro.
He said despite Government efforts to address water challenges, climate change remains an obstacle among other activities that include illegal mining and unlawful drilling of boreholes around the country.
“Human activity and climate variability continue to pose a real and credible threat to our efforts to optimally harness Zimbabwe’s water resources for socioeconomic progress, we continue to witness unsustainable levels of pollution of our water bodies, mainly through the discharge of untreated or insufficiently treated sewer and industrial effluent into rivers and dams.
The upsurge in artisanal and alluvial gold mining along our rivers is compounding our efforts for the sustainable delivery of water to our people,” he said.
Deputy Minister Karoro said unregulated drilling of boreholes in major towns and cities such as Harare poses a threat to groundwater resources and government will soon review groundwater policies to restore order and sanity in the country.
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