Courage Dutiro
With unpredictable weather patterns and unreliable local authorities’ water supplies, groundwater use has become proof to such challenges.
This has fuelled the current rush to pumps with individuals who can afford it are dipping deeper and deeper to get the precious liquid, putting groundwater under severe strain.
In Zimbabwe, groundwater issues suffer as a result of knowledge gaps.
A water expert who spoke on the condition of anonymity pointed out that Zimbabwe as a country does not have comprehensive data on groundwater.
“The problem with groundwater in Zimbabwe is that we do not have comprehensive data,” said the expert.
He also said the proliferation of boreholes has a bearing on groundwater levels.
“Definitely the increased use of groundwater will have a bearing on groundwater levels and quality.
“In Harare, we are developing a monitoring network to keep track of the groundwater levels. We will gradually expand to other provinces. The first phase is done and we have started getting data but at this stage, it is hard to tell what is happening because the data is still coming,” he added.
With the proliferation of borehole drilling rigs and companies operating around Masvingo province, Mutirikwi sub-catchment council manager Taruvinga Chivasa said only 245 boreholes have been drilled in the sub-catchment area so far.
“245 boreholes had been drilled with only 92 in town captured in our database and 73 of the 92 are active while 19 are inactive. We are still to align our database with that of Masvingo City Council,” said Chivasa.
He also acknowledged that there are unscrupulous individuals and drilling companies who ‘Nicodemously drill boreholes’ without permission from the responsible authorities.
“There are some individuals who drill without permission and these have their challenges. You can drill on a place where it is not allowed for instance where there are sewer pipes, it will become a health hazard. Also, individuals can be duped by the service providers (drilling companies),” he said.
Chivasa urged people to make it a culture to seek permission from the authorities before they percolate the ground in search of the precious liquid.
“It is a crime to drill a borehole in the urban area without permission from the local authority and the local sub-catchment area. In Masvingo urban only individuals from the low density suburbs are allowed to drill boreholes; in high-density areas, institutional boreholes are only allowed (for example at schools and health centers). One will be penalized if caught drilling a borehole without permission and the borehole will be sealed with concrete,” said Chivasa.
He also said Masvingo is not a rich Aquifer hence the rate of groundwater recharge versus the rate of groundwater extraction should be balanced.
“We are not on a rich Aquifer. I think it is sustainable if city council with the help of other stakeholders drill big boreholes in each residential suburb which will serve everyone instead of allowing individuals to drill boreholes. These boreholes should have tanks where the water would be stored and pumped into the main water system and serve every household through use of gravity,” Chivasa said.
He however bemoaned lack of stiffer penalties as the major reason people will not adhere to set rules and laws.
“The statutory fines that people who would have violated or breached rules are required to pay are not deterrent enough which is the reason offenders continue to repeat the same offences. There is need to maybe revisit the legislation piece and come up with some stiffer penalties to those who drill boreholes without approval from relevant authorities.
“We as an authority have had cases whereby we come across someone who would have unlawfully drilled a borehole but that very individual would conceal the identity of the company which did the job. Under normal circumstances, we would have to fine both the drilling company and property owner but in most cases, the latter is reluctant to reveal the name/s of the drilling company involved,” he remarked.
Water aquifers are usually natural recharged by normal rains.
A Research carried out in Burkina Faso shows that when a certain number of trees are present at a place, the amount of groundwater recharge is maximized.
In Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) which is the custodian of both surface and groundwater also prohibits the drilling of boreholes and abstracting of water without permission from them.
“It is illegal to drill a borehole in Zimbabwe without an authority to drill. It is also illegal to abstract water without a valid permit. Before a borehole is drilled, authorization to drill the borehole has to be sought first from the appropriate catchment council” read part of the information on ZINWA website.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 aim to increase water use efficiency and achieve access to safe drinking water for all. It also seeks to improve water quality by 2030.
With improved access to water, mostly women and children will live healthier lives and have more time to earn money or get education.
SDG 2 aims to end hunger while goal number 1 targets to end poverty.
Zimbabwe is regarded as an agro-based economy. However, the agricultural sector is suffering from the effects of climate change leaving some families with no sources of income and vulnerable to hunger.
Due to climate crisis where the province is receiving erratic rains, some farmers and families who afford pumps have resorted to groundwater use as climate change proof mechanism.
Equitable distribution of natural resources such as water can be a way to the achievement of SDGs 1, 2 and 6 of the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda.
Munya Malamba of Mutric Boreholes Private Limited (Pvt Ltd) which operates in Mutirikwi sub-catchment area in Masvingo province said within a radius of 40 km they usually get water at a depth between 25 to 35 meters.
“We usually get water after drilling 25 to 35 meters but on some rare occasions, we go as deep as 50 meters in search of the precious liquid,” said Malamba.
Zondai Chitore of Mahachi village in Bikita District admitted the presence of climate change saying their source of water for the past 30 years is no longer yielding enough water.
“The protected well was dug during the drought in 1992. Around the years 2002 and 2004, the usual carrying capacity of the well started depreciating. The problem is increasing as each year passes by,” said Chitore.
The UN World Water Development Report of 2019 shows that high water stress levels will continue to increase as demand for water grows and the effects of climate change intensify.
The price of drilling a borehole around a radius of 40 km from Masvingo urban is pegged at US $1200 by some borehole drilling companies.
During the run up to the March 26 by-elections, Masvingo urban saw a number of boreholes drilled in wards 3, 4, 5 and 7 as part of election campaigns by aspiring Zanu PF candidates though the local authority stressed that they did not approve the drilling of such.
