Faith Ndou
GUTU-After years of scepticism and resistance towards underground and surface water abstraction registration and licensing, communities are beginning to appreciate the benefits of regulated water management as Dewure Sub-Catchment Council rolls out community plough back initiatives.
Amid dwindling water sources caused by climate change, abstraction of underground and surface water to complement conventional sources has steadily increased. What was once largely confined to urban areas, commercial farmers and land reform beneficiaries has now extended to rural communities.
However, the trend has not been without challenges. Some water users have abused the system by abstracting water illegally, either out of ignorance or deliberate disregard of existing water governance statutes, resulting in environmental degradation and inequitable access.
Speaking during the official handover of the Mudzingwa Village Business Unit, constructed by the Dewure Sub-Catchment Council under its newly introduced community plough-back programme, Gutu District Development Coordinator Chiedza Tafirei, who was guest of honour, said water abstraction registration is not a mere formality but a critical tool for planning, management and sustainable utilisation of water resources.
The project comprises a solarised piped water system, two 10 000-litre reservoir tanks, two cubic-metre livestock drinking troughs serving approximately 1 000 cattle, goats, donkeys and sheep, and a 0.5-hectare horticulture garden.
It is benefiting Mudzingwa, Hardson and Tachivona villages, Rasa and Guzha Business Centres, and Guzha Primary and Secondary Schools, which previously relied on unsafe water sources, resulting in human-livestock competition.
“This handover marks more than the completion of infrastructure; it signals the beginning of a climate change adaptation era and contributes towards the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which seeks to ensure universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030,” said Tafirei.
She applauded water users within the Dewure River basin who have complied with the Water Act by registering boreholes, weirs and dams and consistently paying levies.
“It is through these proceeds that the Sub-Catchment Council has been able to embark on community plough-back initiatives such as this one, easing access to clean domestic and livestock water amid climate-induced water scarcity,” she said.
Tafirei urged communities to work closely with government institutions, stressing that sustainable development requires collective responsibility,” she added.
Outgoing Dewure Sub-Catchment chairperson, Maushe Chagonda said it covers Chikomba, Gutu, Buhera and Buhera Rural districts through which the Dewure River flows and is under Save Catchment Council.
Since its formation in 2000, he said the council has faced persistent challenges of illegal abstraction of underground and surface water, driven by ignorance, resistance and negligence of statutory requirements.
“This has negatively affected ecosystems, livelihoods and the environment,” he said, adding that climate change and shrinking water reserves have intensified land degradation, riverbank cultivation and siltation.
Chagonda said illegal pipe connections, unregulated weirs and stream blockages are causing downstream water shortages and increased flood risks, resulting in loss of life and property damage during heavy rains.
The issue raised concern during the Sub-Catchment Council’s 2026 Annual General Meeting held at Mupandawana early this month, with councillors calling for urgent action from relevant authorities.
Save Catchment Manager Engineer Nyahora commended the plough-back initiative, saying it complements Government development efforts while encouraging communities to comply with water regulations.
“When communities realise that levies and licences translate into tangible benefits, compliance improves,” he said.
Engineer Nyahora called for increased budgetary allocation towards community plough-back projects, urging stronger multi-sectoral stakeholder engagement to boost revenue inflows and ensure that at least 30 percent of the council’s budget is channeled towards development projects across all four districts annually.
With each of the 15 councillors serving a three-year term, he said plough-back projects motivate communities while allowing councillors to leave lasting development legacies.
As elderly residents celebrated the reduced burden of travelling long distances to fetch water, Project Committee member Severino Mudzingwa said the community had embraced the initiative after recognising its long-term benefits.
He said villagers previously walked nearly three kilometres to a community garden drawing water from the drying Sote River.
“Although there was initial resistance to Sub-Catchment Council requirements, we now understand the importance of sustainability and equity. We have become ambassadors of this cause because it ultimately benefits communities themselves,” he said.
Gutu District, which is the source of major rivers including Mutirikwi, Popoteke, Shashe, Dewure and Nyazvidzi, operates under several sub-catchment councils such as Mutirikwi and Shashe.
Dewure Sub-Catchment Council manager Misheck Moyo said the council’s mandate includes water management, equitable distribution, conservation, regulation of water use, licensing and permitting of abstraction and borehole drilling working closely with ZINWA.
While some revenue is derived from fines and penalties, he said the council prioritises awareness campaigns to encourage voluntary compliance.
Zimbabwe has seven catchment councils, Manyame, Save, Umzingwane, Gwayi, Sanyati, Runde and Mazowe, each comprising several sub-catchment councils.
The Mudzingwa Village Business Unit marks Dewure Sub-Catchment Council’s initial step in ploughing back proceeds to the communities it serves, with elderly residents emerging as the major beneficiaries of improved access to clean domestic, livestock and agricultural water under Chief Nyamandi in Gutu.
