Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
VILLAGERS in Nabushome under Mabale area in Hwange district have been hit by a severe water crisis as most boreholes are no longer fully operational due a low water table.
The thirsty villagers who live in areas surrounding the Gwayi-Shangani Dam project are now pinning their hopes on the completion of the dam project as a lifeline including the proposed pipeline, which is expected to transform the environs into a greenbelt.
Gwayi-Shangani Dam is situated in agro-ecological region four which is characterised by low rainfall patterns and high temperatures.
Government has so far channelled at least US$122million for the Gwayi-Shangani Dam under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) to speed up the project.
Villagers who spoke to Chronicle said they were now relying on a single communal borehole at Nabushome Primary School for water supply. Due to a sharp decline in underground water levels and over-pumping, the borehole is however, also failing to pump enough water for the community. “We are now forced to spend several hours queuing for water because the only borehole that is working isn’t pumping enough water as evidenced by a sharp decrease in terms of the volume of water coming out,” said Mrs Rachel Nyathi, a single mother of five. We hope that once the Gwayi-Shangani Dam is finished there will be abundant water for drinking and irrigating our crops.”
Another villager, Mr Mphathisi Sibanda said water challenges have not spared their livestock.
“Our cattle are now forced to walk long distances and trudging through unsafe forests in search of water resulting in some of them falling prey to predators such as lions in the bush since we are surrounded by wildlife,” he said.
Mabale area is situated in the wildlife corridor adjacent to the Hwange National Park.
Chief Nelukoba Dingane urged Government to speed up the Gwayi-Shangani Dam. He said the envisaged project will alleviate water shortages in the areas surrounding it.
“Gwayi-Shangani Dam project is a key development in our area, which is expected to address the perennial water challenges that we are facing. As a local chief, I commend the Government for mooting such a brilliant idea and we urge authorities to accelerate the project so that communities can benefit,” he said.
The Gwayi-Shangani Dam will also permanently address Bulawayo’s perennial water shortage. The project, which was initially scheduled to be completed in December 2021, is now expected to be finished in
December 2022 after it was stalled following the global outbreak of Covid-19.
The dam, located in Hwange district in Matabeleland North, is set to benefit Bulawayo, Binga, Lupane as well as communities staying along the proposed pipeline which would be supplying water to Bulawayo.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) resident engineer, Mr Hassan Tobve said feasibility studies indicate that once complete, the dam will have a net holding capacity of 634 million cubic metres of water.