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Yeukai Karengezeka Municipal Correspondent
Manyame Rural District Council (RDC) has drilled 25 boreholes and is in the process of rehabilitating over 60 boreholes in all its 21 wards as part of its measures to ease water challenges, an official has revealed.

Manyame RDC chief executive Mrs Farirai Guta said they had so far used $1,5 million in council resources as well as funds from Government meant for devolution programmes.

“We received amounts of $860 000 between June and August from the 5 percent Intergovernmental Transfers Fund which was intended to fund projects under the Government’s devolution programme.

“Council also injected at least $687 535 on the same programmes and upon receiving the disbursement of the money, we prioritised to alleviate the erratic potable water shortages in the district by implementing the borehole drilling and rehabilitation project,” she  said.

She said council engaged a contractor to carry out the work of drilling 30 boreholes and rehabilitation of 63 boreholes at a total cost of $2,8 million.

“We engaged Agatec Drill Company to do the two projects. As the procurement of the contractor was on-going, council also carried out ward consultations through the Ward Development Committee (WADCO) for the selection of new borehole sites and malfunctioning boreholes,” she said.

Mrs Guta said 25 boreholes had been drilled so far but progress was being hampered by the continuous price increase of equipment needed.

“So far 25 boreholes have been drilled and are already functional with only seven not yet completed. We are hoping to complete them by end of this month.

“The drilling of the remaining five and rehabilitation of the other boreholes will commence subject to the disbursement of funds.

The hyper-inflation environment has contributed to major prices variation and project delay when the allocation was done it was still as 1:1 but rates are no longer the same,” said Mrs Guta.

Mrs Guta said the long term plan was for Manyame to have its own water source because of its growing population and are still engaging Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) for lasting solution.