Boosting Quality of Life: Zimbabwe’s Lupane Water Supply Project

In the heart of Matebeleland North Province, Zimbabwe, lies an initiative that has transformed the lives of those in the district of Lupane. The Lupane Water Supply Project is more than just the development of infrastructure; it is a catalyst for positive change, leaving a lasting legacy of progress, prosperity, and a brighter future for the people of the area.

Access to water is a fundamental human right, essential for the health, dignity, and well-being of every individual. Unfortunately, many communities lack consistent access to safe water, negatively impacting their quality of life. Improving water and sanitation services in communities, schools, and health facilities has thus become a crucial focus for development in Zimbabwe. The country has taken a significant step towards doing that, with the support of the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund (ZIMREF), and in collaboration with the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), the Lupane Water Treatment Plant was upgraded under the World Bank-supported Zimbabwe National Water Project (ZNWP) aimed at improving access and efficiency in water services across three selected growth centers, with Lupane being one of them.

The Impact on Resident

For residents like Mrs. Haruziviishe, the upgraded water system has been life changing. As a housewife, she no longer faces the daily struggle of fetching water from a dam nearly 3 km away.

The impact extends beyond convenience-access to water has significantly improved the quality of life. Residents like Mrs. Ncube can now maintain indoor toilets, water their nutritious gardens, and enjoy a higher standard of hygiene and health.

The project has benefitted over 12,000 people and connected 1,500 households in Lupane. Key components of the project included the construction of water reservoirs, installation of a distribution and reticulation pipe network, building a tank and pumphouse for Lupane State University, installation of chemical dosing equipment and a recycling tank at the water treatment plant.

Before this intervention, the town relied on seven boreholes to serve 850 households, 50 commercial stands, and three villages. Some of the boreholes were either plagued by rust or simply non-functional, so water supplies were inconsistent and sometimes unusable. The ZINWA previously used a manual bucket system for water treatment, which has now been replaced by advanced dosing equipment, ensuring safer and more efficient water treatment processes. The project also introduced tanks to harvest water for recycling and reuse, a crucial innovation for the dry season, ensuring no water is wasted.

Recycling water tank. Water is pumped back into the system ensuring no water is wasted. Photo: Ireen Mangoro / World Bank

Building Resilience in Lupane's Water Supply
Lupane District, located in Matebeleland North, is one of the regions most affected by El Niño-induced droughts. The prolonged dry spells, combined with frequent power outages, severely limited access to potable water and increased rates of open defecation. The project addressed these challenges by supporting repairs to a dedicated power line at the sub-station for the water treatment plant, ensuring continuous operation.

Residents like Mrs. Moyo, who have begun receiving water at the household level, expressed relief and gratitude, though she also empathized with those not yet connected. "The project took longer than we hoped, but the results are worth it. I feel for those still waiting for their connections; the conflicts we faced at boreholes were tough," she remarked.

The upgrading of the Lupane waterworks has provided the needed water to residents of the district and also built the capacity of Zimbabwe National Water staff, ensuring the system's operations are efficient and sustainable. Zimbabwe is committed to delivering safe, clean, and sustainable potable water to communities so they will thrive for generations to come.

The project facilitated a significant increase in household connections through an informative communications campaign and removing connection bottlenecks benefitting 13,870 people in Guruve and 10,340 in Zimunya. The project successfully extended access to improved water sources and improved collection rates by ZINWA significantly reducing non-revenue water. The three growth centres of Guruve, Zimunya, and Lupane are operating at 100%, where the project managed to increase the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG6). In addition, the project initiated the development of a National Water Resources Master Plan to guide the government in planning, development, management, and use of the country's water resources in a sustainable way.

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