The Sunday News
Sithatshisiwe Vuma, Sunday News Reporter
THE Lot Water Project has completed the drilling of a second borehole in Gwabalanda in Bulawayo as part of efforts to provide safer alternative water sources for residents.
The project, a brainchild of United States-based, Mr Innocent Hadebe, was initiated last year following an outbreak of dysentery in the Luveve area that resulted in the death of at least 13 people and saw thousands more being affected. The second solar-powered borehole is situated close to Amakhosi Grounds in Gwabalanda.
It was completed a fortnight ago and residents are already drawing water from the solar-powered taps. Mr Hadebe said they were happy the second borehole was now functional and were already working towards having another borehole drilled in the area before the end of the year.
“The completion of the second borehole means there are more alternative water sources that are safe for residents. Following the drilling of the first borehole last year, we started working on this one and now that the second borehole has been done, we hope to identify another site for the third borehole which we hope to have drilled before the end of the year,” he said.
Gwabalanda North Residents Association chairperson Mr Noah Ngwenya said the borehole will ensure they have alternative sources of water.
“We are grateful for the borehole as a community. As Gwabalanda residents we are very happy and we appreciate what our son and his partners are doing in developing our community. We know we will still have to boil the water but it’s much safer than open water sources,” said Mr Ngwenya
Mr Hadebe said they managed to register their organisation as a non-profit entity, which enabled them to partner with other international organisations in raising funds for building safe water sources. He said water samples from the borehole will this week be taken to a local laboratory for testing to ensure if it is safe for human consumption.
Mr Hadebe, who grew up in Luveve, said they intend drilling five to 10 boreholes around Gwabalanda and Luveve that would service residents but once the plant is built, these would be its main sources of water.
“I have partnered Water Mission, a United States-based organisation focused on the provision of safe water and will be going to Tanzania in October to participate in workshops and hope this will assist widen my scope and transfer whatever knowledge I gain to my efforts in Zimbabwe,”he said.
The Lot Project has also partnered with RUWA for Life, an organisation that does water projects in Ghana, Nigeria, Congo and South Africa.
