Harare (New Ziana) – The quest by the Second Republic to develop and empower rural communities is set to go a gear up this week with the commissioning of the One-Village-One-Borehole scheme as part of the Presidential Rural Horticulture plan in Jinjika village, Mangwe district in Matabeleland South province.
Under the scheme, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) will drill and equip one solar powered borehole in each of the country’s 35 000 villages to supply drinking water and for nutritional gardens, fish ponds and dip tanks.
According to Zinwa, the scheme will anchor the rural horticulture programme and also considerably reduce distances people in rural areas travel to get drinking water.
Deputy chief secretary for Presidential Communications George Charamba said President Emerson Mnangagwa would commission the scheme on Wednesday.
“On Wednesday, the President will be in Mangwe, Matabeleland South where he will commission the One-village-One-Borehole scheme,” he said.
“Zimbabwe has 35 000 villages with each set to get a solar-driven borehole under this scheme. Clean water is one of the key Sustainable Development Goals under the United Nations Social Development Programme. Zimbabwe is a leader on the continent in respect of social indicators of development.”
Speaking on Saturday last week, President Mnangagwa pledged the government’s commitment to foster development throughout the country, especially in rural areas, as part of the Second Republic’s stance of leaving no one and no place behind.
For example, he said rural development was being implemented under the Rural Industrialisation Policy which has seen some rural areas opening processing plants for local produce such as the one for tomatoes in Mutoko and that for marula fruits in Rutenga, Mwenezi.
“As Zimbabweans, we have the sole responsibility to develop our country in a manner we think best,” he said then.
Also part of efforts to improve rural communities, massive dam construction is taking place in several provinces.
The dams will anchor massive irrigation and fisheries projects in surrounding communities.
New Ziana