Ellen Mlambo

GUTU – A number of boreholes have broken down in Nyazvidzi Small Scale Farming Area, Gutu and this has seen cattle at Foto Dip Tank going for three months without dipping.
There is also a crisis of water for domestic use in the area with farmers walking 6km to the nearest point.
The boreholes were drilled by the Rural Infrastructural Development Agency (RIDA), formerly District Development Fund (DDF).
Mauzhe Farmers Association chairman, Phillip Mahachi confirmed the issue and expressed concern that cattle are going to die in large numbers from tick diseases.
The Farming area which has 306 farms lost more than 2 000 cattle due to theileriosis in 2019 and 2020 leaving farmers with no source of draught power and revenue.
Mahachi said the irony is that there is a lot of underground water at Foto.
RIDA Acting Provincial Director for Masvingo, Marasahamudi Gutukunhuwha said the district office in Gutu has not received a report of the dysfunctional borehole.
He said the district has put a system in place where all reported break downs are attended to through a council committee with resources from Gutu Rural District Council and manpower from RIDA.
Ward 4 councillor, Phillip Tarwirei told The Mirror in an interview that the borehole has not been repaired for a long time while some boreholes in the area are affected by falling water tables.
He said that the whole ward has a critical shortage of water.
Norman Musiiwa said some farmers are taking their domestic animals to Nyazvidzi River at the boundary of Gutu and Buhera districts which is 15km away.
Mbuya Jane Jenita Mukoroverwa of Farm 169 said private boreholes in the area can no longer reach the water table.