A SOUTH African company GRUNDFOS (Ltd) donated solar well pumps worth R75 349 to the Forestry Commission at Sikumi Forest in the Gwayi Conservancy on Monday to help wildlife in the area access to water during the dry seasons. NOKUTHABA DLAMINI OWN CORRESPONDENT
Environment, Water and Climate minister Saviour Kasukuwere accepted the pumps on behalf of the government and said they would help to keep wildlife in the country as they normally migrated in search of water.
“To keep the animals inside Zimbabwe, sufficient water must be provided, failing which they migrate to other countries like Botswana in search of water,” he said.
He said the availability of water at designated wells would also help curb poaching and poisoning.
“As we conserve the jumbo and indeed other ungulates, stakeholders like the Forestry Commission are beset with a myriad of challenges, chief among them funds to purchase such equipment for game water supply. Other attendant challenges are poaching, forest fires and cyanide poisoning of animals.
“This donation will go a long way in solving the current water problems for the parched and dry conditions of Hwange. At the same time the tourism industry will be the biggest beneficiary as animal visibility will invariably increase,” he said.
Kasukuwere said the Forestry Commission operated nearly 30 artificial game water points throughout Matabeleland and out of that number only three water points used electricity to pump water from underground while the rest were diesel powered.
It used up $6 000 per month excluding repair and maintenance costs to run these pumps.
