Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
GOVERNMENT has commissioned the Magunha piped water scheme in Guruve as part of ongoing efforts to improve access to safe and reliable water in rural communities.
The project, commissioned on Thursday, is set to benefit more than 120 households in Dzepasi and Magunha villages, where residents had for years relied on unsafe and distant water sources.
Community members welcomed the development, saying it has eased the burden of travelling long distances in search of clean water.
“We used to travel long distances to get fresh water, but thanks to the piped water scheme, we now get water at our doorstep. This is commendable work by the government and its partners,” a community member said.
Another resident said the project has improved daily life and reduced disruptions to children’s education.
“We would get up as early as 2 am to fetch water. Sometimes children would be late for school, and we would also fetch water from streams, but all that has changed. We now have clean water,” the resident said.
Beyond water provision, the initiative also includes a village business unit aimed at improving livelihoods through income-generating projects.
“We now have a fish pond fully stocked with fingerlings, so we expect to undertake this fisheries project and get money for our community and our youths,” another community member said.
The Magunha piped water scheme is one of several projects implemented in Mashonaland Central Province by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), in partnership with WHH and funded by Charity Water.
RIDA Provincial Water Engineer, Engineer Godfrey Musiyiwa said the programme has significantly expanded water infrastructure in the province.
“We brought our partner in 2023, and we sunk 72 boreholes. Of the 72 boreholes, 36 were in Guruve. We solarised boreholes of those that yield one litre per second and installed eight piped water schemes,” he said.
WHH Head of WASH Projects, Mr Shadreck Kundishora, said the broader objective is to use water access as a tool to fight hunger and improve nutrition.
“Our aim is to utilise water to end hunger. If we do what is at Magunha, we can achieve that by establishing nutritional gardens,” he said.
The commissioning coincided with World Water Day and Menstrual Hygiene Day commemorations.
Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Christopher Magomo said access to clean water and sanitation remains central to national development.
“Access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health services are not only social services but fundamental human rights and imperative for transformation. The Second Republic under leadership has placed development at the core,” he said.
Government says it remains committed to expanding piped water schemes, rehabilitating existing infrastructure and drilling more boreholes as the country battles water insecurity worsened by climate change.
