| Abstract: | The importance of low cost water supplies and sanitation facilities is heightened in drought conditions such as occurred in Zimbabwe during 1991-92. A summary of water and toilet systems is given. Zimbabwe must recognize that it is a dry country and adopt water and sanitation services appropriate to the climate. Since 1980, 10,000 water sources have been protected. The Blair Latrine has been installed in 300,000 locations and uses little or no flush system, is odorless, free of insects, and doubles as a bathroom. The target is to install 1.4 million Blair toilets, 576 piped water supplies, and 36,000 primary water supplies between 1985-2005. When piped water supplies are used in conjunction with the Blair toilet, a tank replaces the soil-lined pit. A Harare based company is currently manufacturing a 1-liter flush toilet instead of a 10-liter one. The Vonder Rig is another technological improvement being tested by the Blair Research Institute, which is effective in drilling through soils and rocky areas in the Epworth area which has a high water table. However, Epworth water supplies were installed in just a few homes; wells currently in use are placed too close to pit latrines and are dry due to the drought. Save the Children Fund (SCF) has been involved with rural water programs, but finds hauling water to rural areas too expensive. People must move into the city with friends and relatives. A SCF engineer has upgraded and dug 1000 wells in the past year, and finds that the Vonder Rig is suitable only where the water is near the surface and soil conditions are right. The SCF has improved existing wells by reinforcing the well lining and headworks and adding a long-lasting windlass plus an apron and cover for prevention of contamination. The SCF develops ways of obtaining water through rural participation. Africare, a US nongovernmental organization, prefers digging boreholes and has completed 800 at a cost of $10 million. However, boreholes dry out, suffer mechanical failures, and must be maintained. For communal wells, the pumps are associated with lower bacteria counts of E. coli. The Bush Pump has been found to be most successful, but cost prevents wide-scale use. Since 1991, upgrading wells has become a strategy, based on trial data. UNICEF has rated Zimbabwe highly concerning the number of people with access to safe water; hopefully, when normal rainfall returns, safe water supplies will also. |
