NewsHow Local Solutions Are Tackling Matabeleland’s Water CrisisBY NATHAN GUMA recently in New York DURING his time at the City of Bulawayo’s Water Branch, Engineer Melinkosi Dube,…

DURING his time at the City of Bulawayo’s Water Branch, Engineer Melinkosi Dube, a water engineer, was moved by the city’s ongoing water crisis, which disproportionately affected low-income earners in high-density and peri-urban communities Given the Metropolitan Province’s water woes, low-income earners have been hard hit, with many failing to afford alternative water sources like boreholes with tanks It is against this background that he has come up with an innovation, through his not-for-profit, WaterHive, which seeks to improve water access for marginalised communities This has been mainly supported by Pro Africa Development (PAD), an organisation that economically empowers rural communities by implementing gravity-fed irrigation schemes, small livestock projects, and conservation agriculture

This year, his water project earned him great recognition, being selected for the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship, run by the US Department of State, where he was placed under the Public Management Track at Syracuse University, in the state of New York “This stark inequality, where income determined access to clean water, deeply moved me and led to the founding of The WaterHive It was through subsequent work at Kusile Rural District Council and later at PAD that the true calling of The WaterHive became clear: to focus on rural areas,” he says “These communities, often custodians of major water resources like dams that supply urban centres, ironically remain among the most underserved in terms of clean and safe water access.” How the innovation worksGiven the infrastructure constraints in rural areas, Eng

Dube says his organisation has been strategically targeting communities with existing dams constructed by PAD, being mindful of rural realities, particularly limited access to electricity “We primarily use Slow Sand Filtration Systems as a base, enhancing them with Coagulation-Flocculation, Sedimentation, and Disinfection stages,” he explains “Although traditional, this system is low-cost, requires minimal power, and is effective at producing safe drinking water Its simplicity also makes it easy for rural communities to manage, with training provided to ensure sustainable operation.” Water Provision in MatoboIn April this year, PAD and the WaterHive installed a 700-metre pipeline from Mazhayimbe Community Dam to a newly established 4-hectare irrigation garden, which has transformed the land into a potential source of livelihood and improved nutrition for the community

“Witnessing community members, both men and women, dance with joy as water flowed through the pipeline was deeply moving That moment reminded me of the true power of access to water,” he says Originally published on NewsHawks

Source: NewsHawks