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Columbus Mabika

Herald Reporter

Government is committed to ending water challenges in rural services centres, growth points, schools and small towns to achieve universal access to water, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka has said

Minister Masuka said this while commissioning three drilling rigs purchased by Zimbabwe National Water Authority to compliment the Presidential rural development programme.

The development also comes after President Mnangagwa last year embarked the Presidential Borehole drilling schemes to provide clean water to urban areas after councils have failed to provide potable water for residents.\

The programme also dovetails with the President Mnangagwa’s vision as stated in the ruling party’s 2018 election manifesto on water and sanitation that said the Second Republic will, inter alia carry out a national rehabilitation programme of all water purification plants, construct Gwayi-Shangani, Mutange, Musami and Kunzvi Dams and Wenimbi Pipeline.

Minister Masuka said provision of water remains a cornerstone in the attainment of an upper middle income economy by year 2030.

“The Government, through the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement we have embarked in the drilling of 35 000 boreholes in each of the 35 000 villages in the country,” said minister Masuka.

 “We are also drilling boreholes in each of the 9 600 schools throughout the country and the drilling of the 3 600 boreholes, two per ward throughout the country which will be complemented by eight provincial integrated youth agri-business centres as move to achieve the President vision.”

“To quicken the development pace, Government in 2021 launched a Presidential Rural Development Programme targeting drilling and solar powering 35 000 borehole countrywide for multiple uses, with 50 drilling rigs having been procured to date.”

To date, for the programme, he said eight rigs have been received and deployed and currently drilling boreholes in provinces, while 30 are expected before the year ends.

To complement the programme, he said Zinwa has developed the provincial drilling route that will enable efficiency and easy of monitoring. Zinwa chief executive officer, Eng Taurayi Murukira said Government was committed to reducing distance to the minimum of 500 metres.