THE Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said Government is putting in place measures to ensure citizens are not adversely affected by water shortages.
Cde Mnangagwa said this during the recent roll-out of the Emergency Drought Response Programme in Harare.
The country has been hard-hit by recurrent droughts which have resulted in water levels in dams around the country drastically dropping.
People and animals have been severely affected by this fall in water levels. Over 16 000 cattle have succumbed to the drought, while crops have also suffered.
The national dam level is currently at 42 percent whereas ground water level in areas such as Gokwe has fallen to below 100 metres.
“We are launching a critical and life-saving Emergency Drought Response Programme to ensure that all citizens have reasonable access to water supplies and institute mechanisms for the judicious and sustainable use of the same,” said VP Mnangawa.
“The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has made timely interventions that resulted in communities getting water once again in areas such as Kotwa in Mudzi District, Mutawatawa, Marula, Esigodini, Lupane and Zimunya, among others.”
VP Mnangagwa said work was already in progress to throw a lifeline to the people of Mt Darwin following the drying up of the Chesa and Tiringindi Dams which supplied water for domestic needs for the growth point.
“The release of funds for the drought response initiatives once again demonstrates Government’s commitment towards ensuring that all citizens have equitable access to reliable and adequate water supply in sync with the Ten-point Plan,” he said.
“As Government, we remain committed to mitigating the impact of drought as evidenced by the release of further funds for the drought response measure in the water sector, agriculture and food security.”
Government recently launched the National De-silting Programme to rehabilitate and restore the capacity of many water bodies affected by siltation.
The programme entails local communities assisting in the removal of silt from small communal dams in their areas.
The Command Agriculture Programme was also launched to help farmers countrywide improve food security.
VP Mnangagwa lamented the low uptake of irrigation water over the years.
“The uptake of irrigation water by some farmers has been worrying over the years, with dams such as Mazvikadei, Darwendale, Biri, Wenimbi, Rusape, Ruti and others remaining underutilised throughout the year,” he said.
“This is worrying, taking into account the billions of dollars that Government invested in putting up the dams and the amounts that ZINWA loses in maintenance costs.
“The Government therefore continues to exhort people to pursue irrigation agriculture in place of rain-fed agriculture, which is becoming more and more unreliable owing to the now frequent droughts as a result of climate change.
“As such, Government has been sourcing irrigation equipment from friendly countries like Brazil for onward distribution to farmers across the country.”
Dr Jane Muita, UNICEF Deputy Representative said the United Nations (UN) had also put in place measures to help alleviate the burden on women and children during this drought.
“The sheer scale and intensity of the emergency has required a strong, robust and well-co-ordinated response,” said Dr Muita. “As a result, the UN and its partners in the non-governmental organisation (NGO) community have been able to reach approximately 1,5 million vulnerable people in over 35 districts with food, water, cash transfers and other types of assistance over the past one year.
“The UN’s support has focused on three areas of strengthening co-ordination, improving linkages between the humanitarian response and long-term sustainability and resource mobilisation.
“The UN and NGOs mobilised over US$60 million against an appeal of US$132 million for the period October 2015 to March 2016.”
Buhera South legislator Joseph Chinotimba said the women who face the brunt of climate change continue to suffer.
“In our communities, drinking water sources are now further (apart) and it has become difficult to get water from boreholes which are getting drier while wildlife has begun sharing water sources,” he said.
Mfundo Mlilo of the Women Combined Harare Residents Association said there is need for systems that can ensure there is no loss of resources.
“There is need for Government to find ways in which it can address the challenges that have brought us here,” Mlilo said. “There are water leakages of treated water, rampant misuse of groundwater by people who sell this water to the desperate and we need to desist from giving debt relief because residents are willing to pay for the water.
“We need to declare that we have a disaster and get help for it.”