Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
AFTER decades of relying on river water, people in Mtandawenema Village in Garanyemba, Gwanda District have a reason to celebrate following the establishment of a livestock drought mitigation centre.
The facility has brought a significant improvement to the villagers’ quality of life by providing access to clean tap water.
For many years, Mtandawenema villagers faced challenges in accessing safe and reliable water sources. Dependent on river water, the community grappled with water-borne diseases and inconsistent water supply, especially during the dry seasons. This new development marks a transformative change for the village.
The livestock drought mitigation centre, designed to support the local community during periods of water scarcity, has not only benefited the livestock but also extended its resources to the villagers.
Garanyemba Dam, which is their main source of water received insignificant inflows. Two solar-powered boreholes have been drilled at the centre and a 30 000-litre water tank has been mounted at the site.
The water is supplying a one-hectare garden, cattle troughs and taps for domestic use. A laundry point has also been established. Garanyemba Primary School and Garanyemba Secondary School will also benefit from this project.
The Garanyemba drought mitigation centre, which is the first of its kind was established by Government under the livestock drought mitigation programme as part of its efforts to mitigate the impact of drought on the country’s livestock sector.
The centres will be replicated in all 1 620 rural wards in the country. The centres will house solar-powered boreholes, nutrition gardens, livestock feeding troughs, livestock water troughs, supplementary feeding troughs and livestock sales centres being constructed in each drought mitigation centre.
Ms Eliya Sibanda expressed joy and relief at this long-awaited development. “Our water challenges had worsened because the river now has low water levels due to a poor rainy season, forcing us to walk long distances to access water. Our area is generally dry and several attempts were made in the past to drill boreholes but without luck,” she said.
“I’m glad that we now have clean water in our area. We thank the Government for this programme and I’m grateful that they selected us to pilot this programme given our situation.”
Another villager, Ms Concillia Moyo said they relied on dirty water sources, which they shared with their livestock.
“The water was unhygienic, but we didn’t have a choice. Sometimes we were even collecting the water straight from the dam.
This centre hasn’t only provided us with water to drink, but we have a point to do our laundry and dry our clothes,” she said.
Ms Irene Moyo said: “It is important for the community to sustain and preserve the project as it will improve our standard of living.”
Mtandawenema village head, Mr Mlamuleli Moyo said water supply in his area has brought life, not only to the villagers but also livestock.
“This water project is of great importance to the people from this village as they endured great challenges in accessing water. Many villagers have lost their cattle, which got stuck in the mud while trying to drink water from the dam,” he said.
“I’m glad that the Government selected my community to pilot this project. Government has said no one and no place will be left behind and I’m glad that we have been placed at the forefront of the development agenda,” he said. —@DubeMatutu
Online Reporter