Zimpapers Logo

Online Reporter

More than 800 villages countrywide have so far benefitted from the boreholes being drilled by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) under the Presidential Rural Development Programme (PRDP).

Under the PRDP, Zinwa aims to drill and equip 35 000 boreholes in the country’s eight rural provinces by the year 2025.

This will translate to a borehole for each of the 35 000 villages in the country.

In a statement, Zinwa corporate, communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said a lot of progress has been made to date.

“As at April 27, 2023, a total of 820 boreholes had been drilled across the country’s eight rural provinces as the Presidential Rural Development Programme gathers steam,” she said.

Mrs Munyonga said of the drilled boreholes, 83 have since been successfully equipped with solar systems and bush pumps.

“Under this programme, Zinwa is set to drill and equip a borehole for each of the country’s 35 000 villages by 2025,” she said.

Mrs Munyonga said the boreholes will provide water for the villages to establish commercial horticulture gardens, orchards, poultry and fishery projects.

The boreholes, she said, will also provide water to meet the villages’ drinking water needs as well as water for dip tanks and other needs.

“Of the 820 boreholes 67 were drilled in Matabeleland North, 80 in Mashonaland East, 89 in Manicaland, 147 in Mashonaland Central, 97 in Mashonaland West and 84 in the Midlands.

Matabeleland South and Masvingo Provinces had 76 and 180 boreholes drilled respectively,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Munyonga said five commercial horticulture gardens have since been successfully set up in Matabeleland North and South, the Midlands and Mashonaland Central provinces.

She said ARDA and Agritex will help in the management of the gardens, in which the local communities will be producing crops for sale and share proceeds.

“Work on the establishment of six more gardens is underway in Mt Darwin, Mashonaland Central, with full establishment expected in the coming week.

The programme was mooted to aid rural development and as a way of empowering rural communities in the areas of food security, poverty alleviation and employment creation,” she said.

Mrs Munyonga said in the execution of this life transforming programme, Zinwa is working with other Government agencies that include ARDA, AMA, Department of Irrigation, Tobacco Research Board and Agritex.