Gwanda villagers struggle to access water

By The Standard and Newsday | Oct. 26, 2021 | 1 Min read

“Kafusi Dam is our major source of water, but it was destroyed by a cyclone about four years ago. Villagers now depend on a few boreholes available. There are six villages with over 200 homesteads and there are four or five boreholes per village, which makes it a challenge,” Mahopolo said.

BY NIZBERT MOYO

VILLAGERS in Kafusi ward 16, Gwanda, are struggling to access water since their main source, Kafusi Dam, was destroyed by Cyclone Idai three years ago.

Ward 16 councillor Jairos Mahopolo told Southern Eye that three dams that are fed by the Mapate River were destroyed by the cyclone, leaving villagers relying on boreholes.

He said the Zimbabwe National Water Authority and Gwanda Rural District Council had failed to repair the dams.

Mahopolo said council was only able to repair one dam per year, depending on its budget, adding that they had appealed to donors to assist with the drilling of more boreholes.

Kafusi villagers are also running a sheep-breeding project which requires a lot of water for its sustainability.

“The Kusasalethu sheep-rearing project needs water for its sustainability. We are also undertaking a lucerne grass project for stockfeed and the available boreholes are not enough to provide water for the projects,” Mahopolo said.