Buhera district is facing severe water shortages with reports of young children collapsing as a result of dehydration and the elderly travelling lost distances to fetch the precious liquid.
For those fortunate enough to have boreholes and tanks on their homesteads, the wells have dried up due to a combination of continuous abstraction and a receding water table.
Buhera Rural District Council chief executive officer Emily Chibvongodze spoke to Manica Post about the water situation. She said
We have a population of about 280 300 people against 1306 water points. Normally each water point should serve about 250 people. The imbalance makes our situation dire. We have areas without boreholes and people walk long distances to access water.
The district is the aridest in Manicaland province as it receives rainfall below 500mm per year.
During the summer season, maximum temperatures range between 30 to 40 degrees Celsius which further stresses the available moisture.