At least 20% of Zimbabwe’s rural areas is facing a serious water crisis due to the El Niño-induced drought, with the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) saying only half of the households are accessing safe water less than 500m from their homes, it has emerged.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing an intense El Niño-induced drought, leading to water scarcity and further jeopardizing access to safe water for many Zimbabweans.

In a statement on Tuesday this week, UNICEF warned that the situation is critical, with only 81% of rural people having access to improved water sources.

“Because of drought, nearly 4% of the boreholes in the rural areas in Zimbabwe have dried up, particularly in Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces,” UNICEF said.

The United Nations agency also revealed that broken down boreholes rose to more than 6 000 by August 2024, while there was a growing concern over access to safe water in urban settings, including Harare and Bulawayo, where water production is insufficient to cater for residents’ needs.

UNICEF also said the increased water scarcity might lead to waterborne diseases and malnutrition among children, school dropouts and child labour as children are used to fetch water from faraway places.

“The El Niño-induced drought reminds us of the critical nature of ensuring sustained access to water, sanitation and hygiene to prevent and respond to climate change shocks like droughts,” the agency said.

UNICEF said it was working on providing sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene which was pivotal to its role of contributing to ensuring the protection of children’s rights in Zimbabwe.

“By providing access to safe water in communities, we build their resilience to cope with climate change-related shocks like the El Niño-induced drought and prevent child malnutrition, morbidity and mortality,” it said.

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