Piped water scheme transforms villagers’ lives in Hwange

Fairness Moyana recently in Jambezi 

MORE than 1 000 people in Mbizha, Hwange District were all smiles as they waved goodbye to the long era of drinking water from unsafe sources, after benefitting from a piped-water system installed in their community by World Vision with the facilitation of the Government. 

For years, the villagers including the elderly and children shared waterholes at a local river with livestock, resulting in outbreaks of diarrhoea while the pain of walking long distances and the patience of waiting in the snaking queue was part of a daily routine. 

Their pleas to have more boreholes drilled often went unattended and those that were there would dry fast, forcing them to dig unprotected wells in the Mbizha River that they shared with domestic and wild animals. 

And now, the Ndimakule villagers have access to clean water courtesy of a recently commissioned solar-powered water scheme.

The commissioning of the Ndimakule Solar-Power Pumping Unit in Mbizha Ward has been described as a life-changing development for the community as villagers are now accessing clean water for domestic use from the improved community asset under phase one of the project. 

The solar-powered water scheme supplies 219 households, which translates to 1 095 people through a three-kilometre piped system. 

The solarised borehole has a depth of 65 metres, three 10 000 litre tanks and eleven community tap water points, supplying Ndimakule Primary School and a piggery project along the three-kilometre stretch. 

The scheme was done by World Vision through funding from Canada with facilitation from the Government.

Ms Thulisile Moyo of Takazipira Village 3 under Chief Shana said the water situation has been impacting negatively on their well-being.

“Before the solar-powered water system was installed, we were fetching water in small wells dug in the river bed. The water was not safe. It was contaminated by human and animal waste, resulting in diarrhoea. 

As women, we were facing serious challenges of caring for children mostly under five years who would fall sick after being exposed to water-borne diseases. Such incidences forced trips to the nearest clinic for medical care,” she said. 

Another villager, Ms Sikhangele Ndlovu of Ndimakule Village expressed relief at the project arguing that the situation was dire and had become a ticking health time bomb. 

Ndimakule Village 4 head, Ms Selina Ncube said bringing clean water closer to villagers’ homesteads was a welcome development that would contribute towards healthy livelihoods.

“We were facing serious challenges in accessing clean water in this village as we were forced to drink from Mbizha River, which we had to share with livestock. There were always reports of people, especially children suffering from running stomachs. We are very grateful for this intervention,  which will go a long way in ensuring access to clean water,” she said. 

Ms Autrudy Ncube, a health worker in Ndimakule village said the development came just in time to avert a potential outbreak of cholera, which the country had been battling with. 

“We had a serious challenge of diarrhoea, especially among children before this pipeline came to our rescue. I was always on call attending to cases of children with running stomachs as a result of drinking unsafe water. Some boys had contracted bilharzia. It was a very difficult time. With the cholera outbreak,  we were living in fear as we continued to drink from unprotected sources, but that’s a thing of the past as the development has ensured that the health of villagers is preserved,” she said.

She said incidents of sexual abuse of girls by boys and men who waylaid them on their way to and from water points had been on the increase.

“The installation of the piped water scheme ensures that the girls are protected as they do not have to walk long distances or spend hours at water points. My job has also been made simple because I no longer have cases of diarrhoea coming in since people started benefitting from the piped system.” 

The chairperson of Ndimakule Water Point Committee, which oversees the management of the water facilities in the village, Mr Canaan Dube, said the development will also improve hygiene.

“The situation was dire in this community such that when it rained it would become muddy and all the human waste as well as animal dung from the bush would flow into the river. The problem was that the walking distance to the nearest borehole was long, forcing women to resort to fetching water from unsafe sources. 

“This intervention by World Vision has helped the community avert a disaster by promoting good hygiene. Every household pays a dollar, which goes towards the security and maintenance of equipment. We also have members who were trained on how to run the solar system.” 

He said the community contributed by providing labour to dig the trenches for laying the pipes as well as storage tank stands. 

Speaking on the sidelines of a visit by World Vision chief field operations officer, Dr Jean Baptiste Kamate, World Vision Hwange Area Programme (AP) manager, Mr Lovemore Nyoni said the project was inspired by the need to provide potable water as a response to climate change, which was leading to the drying of traditional water sources. 

“The major objective is to improve access by the community to potable water within the standard of 500m from homes, according to Sphere Humanitarian standards. The people of Ndimakule have been fetching water from the nearby Mbizha River. The water is unsafe. It is accessed by livestock. The area has been known for the prevalence of diarrhoea diseases in children and bilharzia, according to the local village health workers. With the advent of cholera in Hwange, the villagers have become more vulnerable,” said Nyoni.

He said as a result of the piped water scheme, villagers, especially women, have been benefitting from the establishment of a piggery project. 

The piggery project has economically transformed women’s lives in the ward after it commercialized operations. The piped water scheme is also supplying tap water to a local school, Ndimakule Primary School, which had a high staff turnover as teachers shunned the institution due to challenges in accessing clean water,” said Mr Nyoni. 

He said the project would expand to cover six kilometres, to ensure that other villages also benefitted, particularly children.

“Under phase one, about 219 households, which translates to around 1 095 people including children benefitted from this project. About three kilometres of pipe was laid in phase one and next year we envisage extending to six kilometres under phase two to cover more villages towards the north and also further south. 

“Our goal is to ensure improvements in sanitation and hygiene for the community, particularly children who are our main focus. Access to tap water contributes to improved quality of life,” he noted.

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