The daily search for water has left many with little choice but to take the liquid from unprotected sources.
“We have a borehole that is used by the whole community and it is far from my house, so I do not go there as often,” said Farirai Zitye of Kuwadzana Extension.
“As for water for cleaning toilets and laundry, I fetch that from the river.” The 32-year-old mother of three said living without water was stressful.
“I wake up early every morning around 4am and join a long queue to fill up my containers. I have to be on time so that my children have enough water to use before they leave for school. I have to buy vegetables from town as there is no water to sustain gardening”.
“At first, I used to fetch water from the river for my vegetable garden, but I gave up as it was just not sustainable,” she explained.
It is no longer possible for Zitye to wash her family’s clothes regularly. “I only wash my kid’s uniforms every week. For the rest of the laundry, it is now a luxury I cannot afford,” she said.
Simon Mukoki’s family in Zengeza 2, Chitungwiza, rely on the kindness of their neighbours.
“Because there is no water to flush the toilet, the children use the neighbour’s toilet. Some times they use the bush, but this is risky because the girls can be raped,” said Mukoki.
For the wealthier residents of Harare, the water problems are not as serious. Precious Nyere of Borrowdale had this to say:
“We have a borehole at home so water is not really a problem. The borehole is connected to all the taps so we have running water in the house.”
Nyere’s family is not comfortable with drinking borehole water, so they buy bottled water.
Contrary to Zitye’s situation in Kuwadzana Extension, Nyere has a beautiful garden with a well-watered lawn and lots of flowers. Nyere said they assisted neighbours without boreholes.
Post published in: News