The El Nino-induced drought that has affected the majority of Southern African countries (SADC) has wreaked havoc in Kadzere rural Nyanga North, where communities are holding night vigils in order to secure the precious water that has become scarce and every homestead is scavenging for it. This has exposed women and girls to sexual abuse as the local touts have resorted to selling water for sex especially to the young women and girls who might not want to spend hours waiting in the long, winding queue to have their turn to fetch water. The water tables in Nyanga and surrounding areas have been reduced significantly and human wildlife conflict has ensued, resulting in the worst water crisis since the independence of Zimbabwe from British Colonial Masters. What is worrisome is the fact that we have elected councilors and MPs for Nyanga who have done little to ease the situation. The communities have resorted to digging riverbeds in search of water and some water sources have become death traps for the community and animals, who also come in search of this precious resource. The community and its livestock are gathered on a bone-dry riverbed. The rivers in Nyanga usually flow throughout the year but due to poor rainfalls the water tables remained shallow, thereby affecting the women and girls, men and boys who are scavenging for water.

This El Nino-induced drought is one of the worst in living memory and deadlier than the 1992 drought that wiped out animals and humans in Zimbabwe. This one has not spared the SADC Region as a whole, and water patterns have become erratic and unreliable for subsistence and commercial farmers, who depend on it for their crops. More than 70 million people have been left without enough food and water, creating a migration crisis and resulting in high school drop-outs especially in the Nyanga area, where children have to walk more than 10 kilometers to fetch water.

Photo 2 Empty buckets.

Nyanga health centers have recorded moderate to severe malnutrition, which has doubled since the water crisis  arose. There has been a great loss from failure of rainfalls, which are usually used to support crops, and has caused pressure on the resources to feed the community.

The District Development Fund and the local partners (NGOs) should join hands to save the situation in Nyanga either by drilling deep boreholes which will be used by the community and the surrounding schools to sustain livelihood and also benefit livestock. Without this critical intervention, livestock and humans will suffer terribly.

The major recommendations would be to start activities like tree planting, solar-powered community borehole drilling and also establish centers to cater for the livestock in order to avoid wildlife human conflict within the area. MAYA is also recommending establishing gutters at each and every homestead and even public institutions and churches in order to capture water that can be used in times of crisis such as this.

Migration on a massive scale will result from environmental conflicts due to clashes at the water collection points.

Let us support girls in accessing clean water, education, and opportunities.

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Author: Jussa Kudherezera

Manica Youth Assembly, Zimbabwe

Twitter: @ManicaYouth
Website: https://manicayouth.org

Date: 9 September 2024

Cover photo: Women and girls spend hours waiting for water.