Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE establishment of a solar-powered piped water scheme in Mtshabezi Village, Gwanda District, has significantly improved the lives of 500 homesteads by providing access to clean water.
Before this development, community members relied on unhygienic water from the Mtshabezi River, which posed severe health risks.
This piped water scheme is part of the Enhanced Resilience for Vulnerable Households in Zimbabwe (ERVHIZ) programme, aimed at improving water access in rural communities across Matabeleland South.
It was implemented by Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH) working with the Water and Sanitation Hygiene (Wash) structures at provincial, district, ward and village level.
The project features a 3km water pipeline with taps installed along the route, ensuring that water is more accessible to the villagers. The community played a crucial role by contributing labour towards the project’s completion.
Ms Priscillah Ncube, treasurer of the Thuthukazulu Piped Water Scheme, highlighted the positive impact on their lifestyle, noting that before the project, most people couldn’t access the single borehole in the area and had to rely on the river.
Now, the availability of clean water has significantly improved their hygiene and daily living conditions.
“For us as a community, this is a dream come true. Our area had only one borehole and most people couldn’t assess it hence we were forced to resort to Mtshabezi River. It has been very difficult to observe hygiene in our homes as water was very scarce for us,” she said.
Ms Saziwe Nkomo, a shop operator at Mtshabezi Business Centre, spoke of the operational challenges posed by the lack of reliable water sources. Previously, she had to purchase water, which was both costly and limiting. The new water scheme has resolved these issues, making business operations smoother.
Senior village head Mr Sindiso Nyathi expressed gratitude for the project, noting that it would enable villagers to engage in horticulture projects, thereby improving their livelihoods and benefiting their livestock. He also appealed for the project to be extended to other parts of the village to ensure wider community benefit.
“We are grateful for this project which has ensured that the community has access to clean water. Villagers will now be able to establish gardens which will improve their livelihoods. Our livestock will also benefit,” he said.
“My appeal is for this project to be extended to other parts of the village because there is only a section that has benefited so far.”
Joseph Dube, chairperson of the Matabeleland South Provincial Water and Sanitation Co-ordination Committee, emphasised the importance of training communities in water management, sanitation, and hygiene to sustain the new water systems.
He said, so far, seven out of nine planned piped water schemes have been constructed in the province, with the remaining two nearing completion. The project also rehabilitated 274 boreholes out of a targeted 321.
“Surface water bodies such as dams are rapidly drying and this has resulted in an increased demand for borehole water. We need more resources and more partnerships to overcome the negative effects of drought,” said Mr Dube.
The ERVHIZ programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Government in collaboration with FAO, Unicef, and several NGOs, integrates agriculture, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and nutrition.
It is being implemented in six districts in Matabeleland South which include Bulilima, Mangwe, Matobo, Gwanda, Beitbridge, and Insiza. The programme aims to enhance the resilience of vulnerable households, especially in the face of drought, by ensuring sustainable access to clean water and improving overall community health and well-being. —@DubeMatutu
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