GUTU villagers have appealed to government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to drill more boreholes in the area to ease water shortages, especially in winter when most wells dry up.
By HAZVINEI MWANAKA
Speaking at the belated commemorations of the Hand Washing Day at Machingambi Primary School last Thursday, the villagers said they, at times, walk long distances to the nearest borehole.
“At this time of the year, the water is scarce. We walk for at least two kilometres to the nearest borehole. Some of our parents are elderly and cannot endure the long distances,” Netsai Mukwanha, from Rwambiwa village in ward 10, said.
District Development Fund (DDF) district co-ordinator Tendai Gwirambira and chair for District Water and Sanitation sub-committee (DWISC) concurred, saying the area required additional boreholes.
“They have boreholes, but we cannot say they are enough. A borehole should save at least 250 people, so this is not the scenario in some places here. The water coverage in this area is around 40% to 45%,” Gwirambira said.
“So we appeal to government and non-governmental organisations to put more funding on water. On sanitation, they can put an effort in building their own toilets, but when it comes to water, we cannot compromise, there is need of clean water.”
Oxfam Zimbabwe WASH co-ordinator Abigail Tevera also said the district had not yet reached the sustainable development goal (SDG) target in the area of water provision.
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“Water coverage, yes, it has increased, but we have not yet reached the SDG target. Some boreholes have been repaired and some drilled, improving access to water, but there is still need of more,” she said.
She also added that there was need for an improvement in behaviour change in terms of washing hands, as it was key in preventing diseases.
Global Hand Washing Day is commemorated annually on October 15 and this year’s event was running under the theme Our Hands, Our Future.
