Zimbabwe Embarks On National Borehole Rehabilitation
The government has embarked on a national borehole rehabilitation exercise premised at addressing water woes nationwide.
The Treasury is reported to have availed 44 million dollars towards the initiative which targets to rehabilitate two thousand boreholes nationwide.
ZBC News reports that under the programme, some of the boreholes at critical points such as clinics and schools will be installed with solar-powered systems to ensure easy access to the tapped water system.
National District Development Coordinator Director for Water Supplies, Engineer Edwin Toriro told ZBC News that the initiative is meant to spur national development in rural communities. He said:
Well we had a wonderful season where we received quite a considerable amount of rains. People are prone to diseases like typhoid and cholera. Government’s thrust is that a healthy nation is a productive nation. This is what we aim to achieve.
What we are saying is that we want to reach out to the most marginalised communities and empower them through provision of sustainable water projects since water is life.
Villagers who witnessed the national launch of the borehole rehabilitation initiative at Mulala village in Kwekwe welcomed the initiative which they said is set to transform their lives for the better.
One resident commented saying they used to get water from the crocodile-infested Sebakwe River putting lives in severe danger.
While there has been a huge gap in terms of development between rural and urban areas, the water shortage issue has been a serious concern for the citizenry in both rural and urban areas.
This is despite the fact that the country receives enough rain yearly.
Obersevers have urged the government to adopt scientific water harvesting mechanisms to address the recurrent issue.
More: ZBC News
