Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
UNITED Nations Resident Coordinator, Dr Rosemary Kalapuraka, has called for climate-resilient development interventions to address water shortages and human-wildlife conflict in Hwange, saying communities living on the frontline of climate change must not be left behind.
Dr Kalapuraka made the call during a recent tour of Dinde and Mabale communities in Hwange where she as-sessed livelihoods projects and engaged villagers on water challenges, climate change and coexistence with wildlife.
At Dinde, she visited the three-hectare Kubhudilila Nutrition Garden, a World Food Programme-supported pro-ject benefiting about 60 villagers, mainly women. The garden uses a solarised borehole to irrigate vegetables and fruit, providing food and income for participating households.
Dr Kalapuraka said the project was a model of sustainable development because villagers had continued main-taining the facility after donor support ended.
“What amazed me is that in the middle of all that brown expanse there was this lush three-hectare plot which a community of some 60 villagers, mostly women, had invested in growing vegetables and fruit from which they now derive a steady income.”
Dr Kalapuraka said the community’s willingness to contribute towards repairs of the solar-powered borehole demonstrated ownership of the project.
“What particularly impressed me is even though the project has concluded, they now have a sense of owner-ship,” she said.
The UN official, however, said the situation was markedly different in Mabale, where communities are strug-gling with water shortages that are also fueling human-wildlife conflict.
Chief Nelukoba-Dingani said competition for limited water resources was worsening encounters between peo-ple, livestock and wildlife, particularly lions.
“We value our wildlife, but the competition for water is becoming a serious problem. As water sources dry up, wildlife is coming closer to communities and livestock, increasing encounters with lions. We need urgent inter-ventions to secure water for both communities and wildlife.”
Villagers said the shortage of reliable water sources was affecting household livelihoods and livestock produc-tion.
“Our livestock are suffering because the few boreholes available are not enough. We need more boreholes be-cause people and animals are travelling long distances to find water,” said one villager.
Another villager said: “Water is the foundation of our livelihoods. Without reliable water, we cannot maintain our livestock or gardens. We appeal to authorities and development partners to increase investment in bore-holes.”
Women said they were bearing the greatest burden of the water crisis, particularly as traditional bush pumps become increasingly difficult to operate. They called for the installation of solarised boreholes, saying some existing water points were drying up.
“Women and girls are the ones who spend most of the time looking for water. Solarised boreholes would re-duce the burden because some of the traditional pumps are becoming difficult to use,” one woman said.
Another woman said declining groundwater levels were worsening the situation.
“Some of our boreholes are drying up and the water is not recharging as quickly as before. We believe climate change is contributing to this. We need reliable solar-powered water systems.”
Dr Kalapuraka said community perspectives should inform future interventions, particularly in areas where de-velopment, conservation and climate change intersect.
“The space that’s available for their domestic cattle, as well as for wildlife is being shrunk, and so it is a new paradigm for them to learn to live within that,” she said.
The UN official said Zimbabwe’s natural resources were critical to achieving the country’s Vision 2030 targets, but development should benefit vulnerable communities.
“Zimbabwe is blessed to have such amazing beauty, as well as mineral wealth, all of which needs to be devel-oped in order for this country to become a fast-growing economy and to be a middle-income country, upper-middle-income country as per Vision 2030,” she said.
“But it will be important to take care of the needs of all Zimbabweans, especially those who live in these communities that are at the forefront, not only of engaging with wildlife, but they are also the communities that are most affected by climate change.”
Dr Kalapuraka also toured Hwange National Park, where park personnel briefed her on conservation challeng-es. She said conservation authorities had a clear understanding of the resources and partnerships needed to protect the park.
“They are going to need financing, they are going to need to learn from other countries, they are going to need partnerships. And I think that kind of partnership will be instrumental in helping preserve this amazing natural habitat and all that we see around us.”
