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Nqobile Tshili in BINGA
BINGA is a remote and dry district in Zimbabwe, where access to water has been a perennial challenge for communities.
For many years, the people of Binga have relied on hand-pumped boreholes, which are often scarce, unreliable, and contaminated.
But things are changing for the better, thanks to a new Government initiative that aims to provide water for all.
The initiative involves drilling boreholes and establishing nutritional gardens in every village across the country, starting with the homesteads of traditional leaders.
One of the beneficiaries of this initiative is Chief Binga, who was amazed and delighted to see the development coming to his doorstep.
He and his subjects witnessed the drilling of a borehole, the installation of two 10 000-litre water tanks, the laying of a piped water scheme, and the creation of a one-hectare nutritional garden at his homestead.
The project was supervised by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka who visited Chief Binga’s homestead recently.
Dr Masuka said the project was part of a well-planned Government programme to ensure improved access to water and food security for rural communities.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has procured 100 rigs to be deployed at each of the country’s districts to drill boreholes.
Better Brands, a contracted company, is responsible for setting up nutritional gardens, which will provide a range of crops for the villagers.
The initiative is expected to have a positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people of Binga, who have been marginalised and neglected until the coming of the Second Republic.
It will also enhance their resilience to climate change, which has worsened water scarcity and drought in the region.
Said Dr Masuka: “President Mnangagwa said we should drill boreholes in every village in the country.
“We have 35 000 villages and village heads.
“So Zinwa has procured 100 borehole drilling rigs so each of the country’s districts will have a borehole drilling equipment.
“We want to make sure that at the end of 2026 we have completed this process.”
Dr Masuka said the Government plans to drill another set of boreholes at 9 600 schools across the country to improve sanitation.
Presently, the country is contending with a cholera outbreak, which remains under control though.
Dr Masuka said communities should also engage on empowerment projects in their locations.
“We have also said that in each ward we identify two places where we drill a borehole, electrify it and mount tanks so that they embark on horticulture irrigation programme.
“These are projects to benefit communities. We don’t want our youth to be idle and some of the end up abusing drugs,” said Dr Masuka.
For the chiefs, said Dr Masuka, the Government has a separate programme as it is drilling boreholes and establishing nutritional gardens to ensure improved food security.
“This equipment that is being installed here means you now have a business. I have experts here who will explain to you how you should run this enterprise, which we call the village business unit.
“They will teach how you will commercialise this entity and how you can access markets. This is a business that the President has started for you. This is the same thing we are doing at the irrigation (Bulawayo Kraal); it is a business that we are starting,” he said.
Following consultations with project implementers, Dr Masuka said that precision farming and drip line irrigation would be used at the chief’s homestead to save water.
Chief Binga thanked the Government for bringing development and hope to his people.
“These projects are not just going to assist me but the community at well. We are truly appreciative of what has been done here.
“We want to express our gratitude to the Government for the things that it is now doing for us. I don’t have much to say,” said Chief Binga.
Better Brands operations director Mr Herbert Pako, whose company won a contract to drill boreholes, said they will drill boreholes at all 17 Binga chiefs’ homesteads.
“We are in Binga at Chief Binga’s homestead where we are drilling a borehole and also installing drip irrigation system.
“We are also installing tanks for water reticulation. The borehole we have installed here is 85 metres deep so we expect that it will be pumping four litres per second.
“We have installed 10 000 litre tanks and we have installed piped water taps and we expect to have competed installing the nutritional garden in the coming two days,” said Mr Pako.
The nutritional garden, he said, is one hectare in size and that it is expected to increase food security for the traditional chief, who is also the community’s head.
“Apart from his homestead, we are also going to install tap water within this area so that the community can also have access to water.
“In the chief’s homestead we have installed four taps. We are going to do this at all the homesteads of the 17 chiefs in Binga.
“We also expect to replicate this system across Binga as we are working with the Zimbabwe National Water Authority,” he said.
Mr Pako said it was an honour for his organisation to be a part of ensuring that President Mnangagwa’s ambition of delivering potable water, while enhancing food security, was realised through the installation of 35 000 boreholes and nutritional gardens at the village level.
Online Reporter