Whenever drought struck Marondera District in Zimbabwe, women and girls bore the heaviest burden, rising before dawn to embark on grueling journeys in search of the precious commodity.

Traditionally responsible for fetching water, they would often walk several kilometers under the scorching sun — a daily trek that robbed children of valuable school hours, limited women’s economic opportunities and exposed families to unsafe water sources.

For decades, in drought-stricken Mashonaland East Province, successive dry spells, compounded by the devastating El Nino phenomenon, turned access to clean water into a daily struggle for survival.

Today, the sound of water flowing from newly drilled boreholes has replaced those hardships, bringing relief, dignity and renewed hope for communities that once endured generations of water scarcity.

In the remote village of Taruwona, nearly a two-hour drive from Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, Malid Chanakira, 62, begins each morning tending a flourishing vegetable garden irrigated by a borehole completed in August last year through a China-assisted water project.

For years, such a scene was beyond imagination.

Chanakira, who lives on a two-hectare plot previously depended on an aging fuel-powered water pump that frequently broke down.

“The machine broke down regularly and at times we struggled even to get water for basic domestic use,” she said.

Today, the new borehole effectively serves about 100 households, improving livelihoods, enhancing food security and bringing new opportunities to the community.

“I can now water my kitchen garden and grow a variety of vegetables throughout the year,” she recounted.

Chanakira believes even greater opportunities lie ahead if the borehole is connected to a solar-powered irrigation system that can pump water to neighboring farms, where maize, sweet potatoes, sorghum and groundnuts are grown.

Her story reflects the experience of thousands of Zimbabweans whose lives have been transformed by reliable access to water in a country increasingly affected by climate change and erratic rainfall patterns.

The borehole that has changed Chanakira’s life is one of the 306 newly built boreholes over the past two years in four provinces in Zimbabwe, a project implemented by China Geo-Engineering Corporation with funding from the Chinese government.

According to the country project manager Zhao Jian, the initiative, which involved drilling 306 boreholes in 306 villages across four provinces, was accomplished in April. It has significantly improved access to clean water in drought-prone communities.

Alleviating shortages

“It is expected to provide clean water and alleviate water shortages for 75,000 people,” Zhao said.

The program also included water quality testing, with all samples meeting safety standards, and the training of local technicians to maintain the facilities.

Zhao said climate change has intensified water shortages across much of Zimbabwe, forcing many communities to rely on raw water from rivers and ponds that expose residents to waterborne diseases.

The borehole project aligns with Zimbabwe’s national goal of providing every village with access to a borehole and forms part of cooperation initiatives under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative.

In addition to China Geo-Engineering Corporation, some other Chinese companies have also carried out similar projects in Zimbabwe in recent years, drilling more than 1,000 boreholes for local residents.

About 20 kilometers away in Mahusekwa Township, located southeast of Harare, the impact extends far beyond agriculture.

For mothers like Moreblessings Chanisetama, the greatest relief is seeing young girls return to classrooms instead of spending hours searching for water.

“We used to wake up before sunrise and walk long distances to rivers and ponds, returning home exhausted, with heavy buckets on our heads,” she recalled.

“Today, I feel like a heavy burden has finally been lifted from our shoulders when I hear the laughter of girls heading to school instead of the river,” Chanisetama said.

The secondhand clothes trader, who regularly travels to Chimoio in neighboring Mozambique to source merchandise, says reliable access to water has freed up valuable time, allowing her business to thrive.

The transformation is perhaps most visible to Thomas Maruni, the caretaker of a borehole located at a busy shopping center.

“The borehole has helped the locals get water nearby as people walked up to 5 kilometers in search of the precious commodity,” he said.

“Since the water is free, people can now devote their time and resources to other pressing needs.”

Maruni said the facility serves more than 200 households but experiences high demand during dry periods when other water sources dry up.

Priscilla Kamera, who operates a small hotel in Mahusekwa, uses the borehole water for cooking, washing and drinking.

Initially skeptical about the water quality, she gained confidence after health officials confirmed it was safe for consumption.

“I use the water for all purposes, including washing, cooking and drinking,” she said. Each evening, she carries water home after work, ensuring her family has enough for household use.

For tailor Shumira Tinago, increased foot traffic around the borehole has translated into more customers.

“I opened this tailoring shop in 2018, and since the borehole was completed last year, the number of customers has kept increasing.

“Now every day I receive an average of about 10 customers,” she stated.

Nearby, Edias Godzi has built a business supplying water to hotels, restaurants and households around Mahusekwa Township.

Another villager who has benefited from the borehole is Douglas Munyakadzi, whose car wash business depends entirely on the reliable water supply.

Free access

Located less than 100 meters from the borehole, his business enjoys free access to water throughout the day, significantly reducing his operating costs.

“Water is a major component of this business,” Munyakadzi said as vehicles lined up for cleaning.

Charging about $4 per vehicle, he washes up to 15 cars on a good day. Reliable access to water means he no longer worries about interruptions caused by droughts or shortages.

The Southern African country’s borehole initiative was launched in response to one of Zimbabwe’s worst droughts in 2024, which affected more than 80 percent of the population, devastated crops and left millions facing hunger.

During the period, UNICEF expressed concern that declining access to clean water and nutritious food increased children’s vulnerability to malnutrition and diarrheal diseases, while disrupting their education.

“The drought increases the risk of malnutrition, infectious diseases, maternal complications, and gender-based violence,” UNICEF said.

Following the El Nino-induced disaster, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a national state of disaster in April 2024.

In response, China launched a large-scale borehole drilling program targeting some of the hardest-hit areas in Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands provinces.

According to Douglas Takundwa of the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, the impact has been significant.

Takundwa said that there are currently eight boreholes serving more than 500 households in Mahusekwa Township.

“The water in the boreholes does not dry up during the dry season, but long queues are experienced as people come to fetch water for domestic use and to water their livestock when other sources are depleted,” he said.

Takundwa said the new water infrastructure has reduced reliance on an aging borehole built in the 1980s that struggled to keep up with rising demand, often leaving residents without a dependable water source.

In addition to solving daily use of water for villagers, the boreholes, while generating abundant water, are also helping poverty alleviation by improving crop production and creating various business opportunities for villagers, he said.

Contact the writers at wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn