The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
THE District Development Fund (DDF) is pressing ahead with the drilling of boreholes around the country, with Umzingwane District (Matabeleland South) where six boreholes out of a targeted 11 have already been drilled, being the latest beneficiary of the fund.
Boreholes in the district are to be drilled at strategic locations that include schools, health institutions and vocational training centres. So far, two boreholes have been drilled in Ward 1, two in Ward 14, one in Ward 20 and one in Ward 17.
DDF early this year received $444 million for an emergency rehabilitation of roads and boreholes, and work is underway in almost all provinces where some communities have been cut-off due to bad roads. Others have faced perennial water shortages.
For roads maintenance, DDF got $400 million, while the water division received $44 million for Covid-19 interventions and is now using the funds for maintenance and drilling of boreholes.
Umzingwane Member of Parliament Retired Brigadier General Levi Mayihlome told Sunday News that people were happy with the new developments as they had been waiting for a long time for the drilling of the boreholes, which are expected to bring much needed relief.
“We have waited for over three years to get these boreholes drilled. In between we had a few drilled for nutritional gardens and limited piped water,” he said.
The borehole drilling drive started last week at the recently refurbished Esigodini Hospital. Rtd Brig-Gen Mayihlome said the hospital had been in desperate need of a borehole, as water supply to the health institution had been unreliable in the past. He reiterated the need to target clinics and schools which still got water from water bowsers.
“We were particularly excited that at last something has been done for the Esigodini Hospital which was facing erratic water supplies. For the villagers this means shorter walking distance and cleaner and reliable water supplies.
We still have several primary schools and clinics supplied from water browsers in Umzingwane, which in this (Covid-19) pandemic is not at all acceptable. We hope that the next programme will address these challenges,” he said.
