Natural water spring set to avert effects of drought in Monde village
Ratidzai Matumbura
VICTORIA FALLS – The Monde community living on the outskirts of the resort city of Victoria Falls is on the verge of making history after engaging in a climate change mitigation measure through the construction of a dam which harnesses water from a natural spring.
The spring, which is similar to springs found in Binga produces cold water and releases it into a tributary of the mighty Zambezi River.
Speaking to this publication, the Kraal Head of Monde Village, Mr Nkathazo Mpala revealed that the villagers are building a dam with intent to exploit the precious liquid for household use as well as for livestock consumption.
“We are constructing this dam for our people and their livestock. We have individuals with large gardens around this area who will benefit immensely from this project. Our area is prone to drought and it is sad to see water just going to waste. That is why we came up with a community initiative to trap water from a natural spring through the erection of a dam wall rather than having water flowing straight to the Zambezi,” he said.
Mr Mpala underscored the importance of the dam, adding that the construction of the dam will bring about huge relief for Monde village and its vicinity. He reiterated that villagers are faced with drought induced perennial water challenges and often rely on a borehole that is overwhelmed by a great demand for its water.
“The construction of the dam wall will be of great help. Almost all villagers rely on the borehole for their water supply, resulting in overcrowding and lengthy hours spent at the borehole. Having a dam will help ameliorate the water challenges in our village,” he said.
One of the wall builders, Mr Nkululeko Zikhali bemoaned the loss of livestock in previous years due to drought. He said that the project will go a long way in reducing livestock mortality.
“In previous years we lost livestock due to drought as a consequence of water challenges. We celebrate the dam wall construction as it is going to reduce the loss of our livestock,” he said.
An elderly woman from the community that resides 7km away from the resort City of Victoria Falls said that the construction of the dam is set to reduce the distance that the cattle have to move in order to access water. She said the long distance to the river has previously exposed livestock to attacks by lions and hyenas.
“The construction of the dam will save our cattle from the long distance they have to travel in order to drink water. Our cattle have had to move to Masuwe River which is situated 7 kilometres away and to make matters worse, the area is infested with dangerous wild animals,” she said.
The dam wall stands at about three metres and runs from one end of a stream to another. When the crew visited the project site, scores of villagers could be seen working on the final touches of the dam wall. The dam is expected to reserve water throughout the dry season of the year.
