Nyanga water woes persist

Talent Simbi
WHILE water points are synonymous with women gossiping and laughing on top of their voices, the scenario in the remote Fombe area of Nyanga is usually tense and quiet. Everyone at the borehole is usually concerned with at least salvaging a pail of drinking water from the crowded source.

Failure to do so, the next option will be to travel and fetch the precious liquid in Gairezi River, some 10km away.
Such is the scenario in Katerere area, where water is so scarce during this time of the year when most streams would have dried up and the water table being so low that boreholes can hardly support the pressure from the thirsty villagers.

In Ward Three, villagers in Mabvuramiti Village have to wake up at around 4am to fetch water at a borehole about 4km away. And to make matters worse, one can arrive at the borehole having already dried up. At most, only 200 litres could be pumped out from the borehole against a demand of over 1 000 litres.

The scenario forces some families in Fombe to abandon their homes to settle along Gairezi River, only to return during the rainy season when water is available in nearby streams.

At Gairezi River, the villagers will build kraals for their cattle and temporary houses. They seem not to mind this nomadic life as long as it affords them the brief luxury of living near a water source.

The situation seems to be worsened by dysfunctional boreholes in this remote part of Nyanga. In Ward Three, only 10 out of 36 boreholes are functional. These 10 are expected to support 1 400 families.

In Ward One, the 39 functional boreholes have to pump out water to nearly 2 000 households, a task which has proved insurmountable.

The water crisis has not spared schools either, with most teachers finding it difficult to juggle their duties with scavenging for water.

Ward One councillor Clr Edmore Chiteto said the situation in the area was worrisome and they were working hard to rectify it.

“People here are enduring an acute shortage of water. Imagine villagers walking 10km to fetch drinking water. We are worried that our teachers will end up giving up and transfer to other schools. The problem can be rectified by diverting part of Gairezi River to pass through our villages although it requires a lot of resources,” said Clr Chiteto.
The same sentiments were also echoed by Ward Three councillor, Clr Edward Manda.

“It is high time we seek solutions for challenges affecting the community here before it is too late.
“Villagers cannot continue leading such lives at a time when Zim-Asset is facilitating liberation from the bondage of poverty,” he said.