The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) plans to acquire a vehicle-mounted borehole rig to drill boreholes on its premises and also for companies and individuals who will pay for the service.
NRZ spokesperson Martin Banda said the rig will drill up to a depth of 300 metres.
Banda said the NRZ borehole drilling unit will target drilling boreholes for workstations and residential quarters.
He said this will eliminate the company’s estimated $7 million per month water consumption bill. Said, Banda:
The vision of the unit is to be the leader in the provision of borehole drilling services in Zimbabwe, the unit will commit to its service charter which will be aimed at ensuring high-quality services for its target markets in providing cost effective sustainable water supply solution.
The target market is wide and varied from internal to external customers for borehole drilling and installation services across Zimbabwe.
The scope is quite vast given that the changes in climate has led to a general reduction in annual rainfall, hence most of the communities in Zimbabwe are in need of clean groundwater and there is potential for the unit to generate profit with good marketing of the services.
Banda also said NRZ plans to drill 20 boreholes for NRZ operations in one year, and to increase the number of boreholes drilled for customers by 20 per cent annually.