Zimbabwe seeks wiser ways to use water
As El Niño brings drought and global warming brings heat, farmers are battling as groundwater infrastructure — their last resort — has been neglected
Harare — Bensen Muzamba knows the cost of water only too well. He runs a maize farm outside Harare, but because of poor rains at the start of the season, he was forced to purchase water to irrigate his crop — something he can ill afford. As with many farmers across the country, he relies on rainfall, and struggles if it does not come when expected. “It’s tough when you have to buy water ... and sellers demand foreign currency,” Muzamba told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, inspecting maize plants on his land about 15km from Harare. As Zimbabwe struggles with the fallout from a slow start to the rainy season, bulk suppliers that deliver water in tankers have increased their prices, citing the high cost of extracting groundwater. And with dam levels down — though recent rains have helped — cities such as Bulawayo have been exploring ways to curb water consumption in homes. Meanwhile, violent clashes have erupted over shortages of fuel and a government-imposed fuel price hike, while US ...
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