MARTIN MAWAYA
Chirumhanzu Rural District Council (RDC) has intensified infrastructure development initiatives aimed at improving service delivery through the provision of potable water, health facilities, and passable roads.
Funded through a mix of internal resources and devolution allocations, the projects span water from provision, road equipment procurement and health infrastructure development.
Among the major works is the construction of a bridge linking the Low Density Village (LDV) extension to the town centre at a cost of US$50 000.
The project, financed from the council’s internal resources, is expected to be completed by the end of October.
Council Chief Executive Officer, Lovemore Chatikobo, told The Midweek Watch on Monday that the projects are transforming lives and the outlook of the district.
“We have lined up various projects this year, some already concluded while others will be completed before year end,” he said.
He said the district council has done a lot using devolution funds, including the construction of Hwata, Chipindi, Chapwanya, Mudzengi and Musena clinics, although Chapwanya and Musena still need final touches.
“In addition, we procured a grader, two tipper trucks and a TLB, which are expected to be delivered between now and October,” he said.
Chatikobo appealed to Government to speed up the release of devolution funds to enable the council to complete pending projects such as Tongogara and Mazvimba clinics.
“Apart from the devolution funds, we have been using our own internal funds to construct a bridge,” he added.
On water provision, council engineer Cuthbert Kwera said the local authority had installed solarized boreholes to ensure reliable water access for residents.
“In the past, vandalism of water infrastructure resulted in residents going for days without running safe water, but solarised boreholes have provided an alternative and sustainable solution,” said Engineer Kwera.
Residents welcomed the projects, with Molly Nyamande of Nyamande village highlighting that the solarized boreholes had eased the burden of walking long distances to fetch unsafe water.
“We used to queue for hours at bush pumps, but now we have clean water close to our homes. This is improving our health and livelihoods,” she said.
The RDC said it will continue implementing people centred projects to improve service delivery and uplift the standards of living in the district.
