Siabbanga, Binga, faces heavy blow over shortage of water
Ibin Munsaka
The community of Siabbanga village in Binga, under Chief Sikalenge Ward 6, is appealing to the government for assistance in installing a reliable water supply to curb the challenge which has become a major problem for the entire community.
Siabbanga is located 18 km away from Binga town, forcing residents to pack their buckets and take transport to a solar water borehole, which is 15 km away and was installed by the Presidential Water Drilling Scheme. They pay a dollar per individual for transport fare to the water point, while it costs a dollar for two buckets of water.
“Twafaba nobantu baleza shuwa. Mutubuzizye bafulumende kuti tatukwe meenda akunywa. Lubono lwesu luyanda maanzi. Lino ngatwabweza n’gombe twatola kumulonga kuti zikanywe maanzi mpo be council balikuti tabayandi kubona n’gombe kubbooma mpo tuchite buti lino nobantu baleza,” said Nebson Munsaka, one of the village heads.
This translates to: “We have suffered a lot with this problem of water shortage for consumption and our livestock. When we take our livestock to the Zambezi River for water, the local council warns us that they don’t want to see cattle in town. So what can we do for our survival?”
“If you don’t have money to pay for transport fares to fetch water, then you die, and it makes children suffer. It forces us to alter our bathing patterns due to the shortage of this much-needed precious liquid. Surely with this heat,” said Margret Mudenda , a resident of Siabbanga village.
For the past few years, the Siabbanga community has managed to dig and secure some shallow wells, as rainfall could previously sustain the area. However, during the years 2023-2024, Zimbabwe experienced El Niño, leading to low rainfall and making it difficult to obtain sufficient water for most communities.
Binga is geographically located in the northwest of Zimbabwe and falls under Region Five, receiving little to no rainfall, which leaves many areas continuously dry. This has forced many economically active young men to leave their homes in search of employment in nearby towns like Hwange and Bulawayo, leaving behind elderly individuals who continue to face food and water challenges.
When contacted for a comment, the ward councilor was unreachable when the news crew tried to call his mobile phone, and even at the time of printing this article. The news crew observed that most people in this area spend the whole day on the water agenda.
The government of Zimbabwe recently introduced the Presidential Solar Water Borehole Scheme, which aims to assist all communities across the country facing critical water problems. Binga is one of the targeted areas, experiencing dry spells throughout the year.
The continued expansion and support of such initiatives (the Presidential Solar Water Scheme) brought by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, will provide many opportunities for young women and men to implement self-projects and create self-employment, such as establishing nutritional gardens with a variety of foodstuffs like vegetables, beans, cabbage, potatoes, and many more, which can be used for consumption or as income-generating project.
