Tendai Gukutikwa
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
MASHINGAIDZE villagers in Buhera will now have access to safe drinking water within a reasonable walking distance, thanks to a newly established piped water scheme.
The scheme, located in Ward 19 under Headman Chikukwa, Chief Nyashanu, is a collaborative effort between World Vision, Buhera Rural District Council, and the community.
Over 500 villagers in this climatic region five area will benefit from the scheme, having potable water close to their homes.
Buhera RDC acting chief executive officer, Mr Ishmael Jachi said the Mashingaidze community was chosen for the project due to their cooperation with the local authority in ensuring that each household had a standard toilet.
Buhera District faces significant challenges with sanitation, with a third of households lacking toilets and resorting to open defecation.
Mr Jachi said the community previously travelled at least a kilometre to fetch water from the Nyamakute Dip-Tank borehole, which posed health risks due to poor hygiene practices and livestock frequenting the water point.
“The community now has access to potable and clean water within a 500m walking distance. The scheme was established as an incentive after the village achieved open defecation-free status, with every household constructing standard BVIP toilets,” said Mr Jachi, highlighting the successful partnership between World Vision, Buhera Rural District Council, and the community, which resulted in the piped water scheme. The com-munity provided labour during construction, while Buhera RDC and World Vision provided funding, mobilisation, and monitoring. A total investment of us$42 000 was made into the project.
Ward 19 representative, Councillor Taurai Matiza emphasised the transformative impact of the water scheme on the community’s overall wellbeing, particularly in terms of health.
“Our area is cholera-prone due to poor hygiene, but with this scheme, we expect significant improvements,” he said. Councillor Matiza said the availability of water will also spur economic activities, such as individual and community garden projects.
“We used to travel long distances to fetch water, but now our livelihoods have been enhanced. We can start community gardens, and our schools can initiate income-generating pro-jects,” he said.
The water scheme benefits, not only the community, but also two schools, a dip tank, and health post. With access to clean water, the community is confident in saying “goodbye” to cholera and other water-related diseases, said Councillor Matiza.
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