malvernmugadzikwa
Malven Mugadzikwa
CLOSE to two million people in rural areas currently do not have access to clean water due to the failure of thousands of water points, including nearly 3 000 that are completely dry, according to recent Government statistics.
The figures were released at the 2025 National Stakeholder Dialogue on Wednesday.
A total of 1 613 100 people in rural areas are failing to access safe and clean water due to the failure of 6 398 water points, with 2 929 of them completely dry.
Chief director in the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation Development Engineer Tinayeshe Mutazu — who was representing Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Professor Obert Jiri — attributed the crisis to a combination of receding groundwater levels and mechanical breakdowns at some water points.
“The El Niño-induced drought of 2023-2024 has significantly reduced groundwater recharge and levels, thereby increasing demand for groundwater in urban areas and threatening its quality,” he said.
“Groundwater is not merely a basic necessity but an economic enabler and a constitutional right.”
The Government has implemented strategies under the Rural Development 8.0 initiative to address water access challenges and uplift rural communities.
As part of this initiative, 3 528 boreholes have been drilled and 432 business units established across all provinces.
Prof Jiri also indicated plans to improve governance in the water sector.
“We are reviewing the Water Act, ZINWA Act and related statutory instruments, with the major highlight being the establishment of an independent water and wastewater regulator,” he noted.
These reforms aim to address challenges such as over-abstraction, unregistered drilling and pollution of groundwater resources.
Zimbabwe is actively participating in regional and international water management initiatives. The country shares six transboundary aquifers with neighbouring countries, including South Africa and Mozambique.
“We applaud efforts by the SADC Groundwater Management Institute in initiating regional cooperation and management of these transboundary aquifers through research, capacity building and joint monitoring initiatives,” Prof Jiri added.
He further emphasised the importance of leveraging technology to sustainably manage groundwater resources.
“Unlike surface water, groundwater is a hidden resource that, when not sustainably managed, is almost impossible to restore. Investing in technologies that monitor groundwater in real-time will aid in better understanding and managing this finite resource,” he explained.
Efforts are also underway to establish a National Groundwater Database.
“The Zimbabwe National Water Authority has already taken the lead by digitising what was once a paper-based groundwater database,” Prof Jiri said, noting that fragmented groundwater data remains a challenge.
He concluded by urging stakeholders to work towards a sustainable future.
“Let us all strive for universal access to safe drinking water and encourage each other to sustainably manage our groundwater as we transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy by 2030,” he said.
Online Reporter