ZRCS to ease Muzarabani water woes

THE Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS), through its disaster and risk management initiative, has moved to ease water woes bedevilling the Muzarabani community.

Villagers are walking long distances in search of safe water while others have turned to unsafe sources, a development that has led to a surge in diarrhoea cases recorded at Chiwenga Clinic over the past two weeks.

Speaking during a tour of water projects, ZRCS secretary-general Mr Maxwell Phiri said besides the installation of a 3,5 kilometer water pipeline in Chiwenga, they had also sunk wells in neighbouring communities.

“The water situation in Muzarabani is pathetic and we are working with several communities to avert the problem through our disaster and risk management programmes here,” he said.

The water pipeline has been assisting several villagers and some come from as far as Kairezi and Mudzimu, which is over 15 kilometres away.

The community used to share the same sources of water with both domestic and wild animals, putting them at serious risk.

Environmental health technician Mr Milton Hwayerera said there was need for an urgent solution to the problems, as the Chiwenga area was recording an increase in cases of diarrhoea.

“Water is becoming very scarce in this area, people are only banking on this water pipeline which was installed to assist the clinic and school, but now they (ZRCS) have been forced to extend it to the community because the situation is not good,” he said.

In Kachingwe Village, ZRCS has sunk a well that is serving 360 households.

Apart from easing water woes, ZRCS has embarked on a campaign to teach people about sanitation.