ONLY by recognising the intrinsic value of water and its central role in our existence can we hope to build a more resilient, healthy and food-secure world for present and future generations.
Water plays a pivotal role in sustaining all forms of life on our planet. It’s not only a basic necessity but also a fundamental human right.
For Prevail Group International CEO Paul Tempter Tungwarara, – every Zimbabwean should have access to clean potable water. For him water is the driving force of all nature and says we should not forget that “water and life cycles are one.”
Access to safe drinking water is crucial not only in Zimbabwe but any every country. And climate change, mostly causing droughts, is not making things any easier. Long periods of drought also bring more conflict between humans and wildlife.
Thousands have lived without love, not one without water, pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine. Water is life, and clean water means health. Tungwarara working with the Zimbabwean government have been consistent in ensuring that clean water is available to every Zimbabwean
Water is a fundamental component of life on Earth, making up more than half of the human body’s weight and covering 71 percent of the Earth’s total surface area.
Of this, only 2.5 percent is fresh water, which is used for drinking, farming, and industrial purposes. The interconnectedness of water with life goes far beyond our physiological makeup. Water supports ecosystems, influences weather patterns, and drives the planet’s geological processes.
It is exactly 17 days before World Water Day.
World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
The theme of each year focuses on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, which is in line with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal
Access to potable water for every citizen remains Zimbabwe’s major thrust with the Presidential Borehole Scheme having spread across all the country’s 10 provinces.
In rural areas, villagers are also benefiting as irrigation facilities for horticulture have been set up.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said all the 35 000 villages across the country will have access to a solar powered borehole.
“Within 3 to 4 years, inside of the 35 000 villages, each one will have a solar-powered borehole,” President Mnangagwa was quoted saying.
Prevail International Group Managing director Paul Tempter Tungwarara thanked the President and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) a wholly government owned entity tasked with managing the country’s water resources for the provision of potable water across the country.
“We are very much excited to be spearheading the Presidential water scheme and we are going on full swing until every Zimbabwean receives water from the President,” he said. The partnership to bring water to rural and urban communities between Prevail International and Zinwa, has brought hope to many Zimbabweans
The public-private partnership has so far resulted in thousands of families accessing clean water from solar-powered boreholes, and kick-starting community gardens that will boost nutrition and household incomes, thus contributing to the country’s GDP
President Mnangagwa, has praised this initiative which could not have come at a better time. The country and the region are experienced limited rains and an outbreak on cholera in Zimbabwe and neighbouring Zambia.
Prevail International on their part aslo said they were committed to ensure that they meet all set targets so that Zimbabweans will not face any water shortages.
“Our drive is to support the vision of President Mnangagwa to bring water to the people and leave no one and no place behind,” Tungwarara said.
The solar powered boreholes pump an impressive 2800 litres per hour, ensuring that the community’s thirst is quenched, and also that villagers can farm produce for household food security and the market.
Each borehole powers a 1-ha garden, benefiting about 80 households. The gardens are equipped with state of the art irrigation equipment also provided by the company
“We have managed to create employment for locals through these gardens, and they also supply the local market, ensuring they earn,” Tungwarara said.
Tungwarara explained that some villagers previously used carts to get clean water from far away areas, but now source the resource within only a few hundreds metres.
This has led to massive buy-in from villagers who have welcomed the initiative.
“Villagers are happy and as you can see they even volunteer their labour and time to assist in whatever they can, including providing security to our sites,” he said
“There is community ownership.”
The ongoing Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme is not a political campaign tool, but a long-term project to improve citizens’ access to potable water. The scheme is being implemented across the country’s 10 provinces, especially in areas that are facing water challenges.
The programme, which was launched by Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa in 2022 to improve the availability of clean water, has also benefitted a number of people in Zimbabwe
“People should access clean water and this is what the President is looking forward to,” said Tungwarara.
Tungwarara said the programme is not a campaign tool, but is part of President Mnangagwa’s broader vision for the attainment of an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
For decades, water scarcity has been one of the most pressing issues for the African continent, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people.
With the crisis worsening year by year due to population growth, mismanagement of resources, lack of adequate infrastructure and climate change, finding ways to end it is now more urgent than ever. New, innovative technologies are constantly being developed, where some have proven to be successful in detecting underground water reserves.
Now, the ambitious project Remote Water aims to make use of these successful technologies to help the neediest communities and combat water scarcity in Africa.
