The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
THE Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme has come to the rescue of Zimunya Township residents who have been battling with acute water challenges for years.
The scheme has enabled them to access clean and safe water from boreholes drilled in their area, thereby improving their health and livelihoods.
Residents expressed their appreciation for the scheme in various interviews as they witnessed a borehole being drilled in Ward 32 last week.
They said the scheme has solved their water woes.
Ms Evidence Muchero said they used to suffer from diarrhoeal diseases due to lack of safe drinking water.
She said they were grateful to President Mnangagwa for remembering them and ending their water woes.
“We had cholera outbreaks in 2008 and 2009 as we had no safe drinking water. We were scared that cholera would affect us again this year. We are grateful to President Mnangagwa for coming up with the Presidential Borehole Scheme as the boreholes are bringing water to our doorsteps,” she said.
Another resident, Mrs Judith Muuya said over the years they were getting drinking water from unprotected sources.
“We thank the President for the boreholes that will serve the Zimunya community. We only get tapped water at night for a few hours but now our water challenges will be a thing of the past,” she said.
The Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme is a comprehensive programme that aims to improve the living standards of Zimbabwean communities by providing them with easy access to water and income-generating opportunities.
The programme, which was launched by President Mnangagwa, will drill and equip solar-powered boreholes across the country.
By 2025, 35 000 boreholes are expected to have been drilled.
Each village will also benefit from a nutrition garden where they can grow a variety of fruits and vegetables.
The programme will also support rural industrialisation, fisheries development and marketing of agricultural products.
The programme is expected to create 840 000 jobs and uplift over 1.8 million households from poverty.
Zanu PF candidate for Mutare Rural District Council Ward 32, Cde Shadreck Chiripamberi said the scheme is aligned with Vision 2030 which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle income economy by enhancing food security, import substitution and rural development.
“People are happy because water has been availed to them. We are grateful to President Mnangagwa for the two boreholes that were drilled in this ward and we promise that we will pay him back with our votes,” he said.
