Story by Providence Maraneli
RESIDENTS of Gwanda South have taken a proactive community-led initiative to combat the effects of climate change through mobilising resources to rehabilitate the heavily silted Switsha Dam.
The initiative has ignited hope among the likes of Gogo Musa Dube and her friends who have been struggling with fetching water.
“We have mobilised resources with the help of our MP to rehabilitate the dam. This year, we felt the impact of drought, and it’s important to have this dam hold water again.”
“We want our women to do gardening again, so we thought it was necessary to have this dam rehabilitated. We are following the President’s mantra that ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo , this is our small contribution,” added another villager.
Gwanda South Legislator Honourable Omphile Marupi who is also the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting Services, is spearheading the rehabilitation of dams, Switsha , Gungwe and Buvuma.
“These are water bodies that used to support the communities in terms of horticulture projects, drinking water for cattle and other domestic activities, but have either been damaged, or silted.
“So, we have come together as the community to rehabilitate this dam. We lost a considerable herd due to water scarcity. With this dam, we are also going to have projects for the development of communities.
Gwanda South has taken a significant step forward in combating drought, thanks to the government’s drought mitigation programme.
The constituency is home to the first-ever drought mitigation centre and village business unit, strategically located in Garanyemba.
