RETHINKING APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR RURAL WATER SUPPLY IN SEMI ARID REGIONS OF ZIMBABWE

摘要

The present study sought to determine the appropriatenessrnof conventional water supply technologies (boreholes/rndeep wells) by determining the presence and functionalityrnof existing drinking water sources in Gwanda district,rnZimbabwe. Research methodology entailed the landrnsystems approach. A total of five wards representing allrnenvironmental gradients in the district were selected and arnhousehold questionnaire was administered and five focusrngroup discussions were also done in the five wards.rnQuantitative data from the questionnaire was analysedrnusing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. The majority used protected water sources,rnalbeit seasonal, resorting to open sources during the dryrnseason. The opportunity cost for collecting water wasrnhigh and this had serious ramifications to other livelihoodrnactivities. Alternative water sources were limited. Therernwas also a dearth of robust institutions for communityrnbased water source management. The ratio of people perrnwater point was also far too high. It was concluded thatrnlack of appropriate technology for rural water supply inrnsemi arid regions undermined access to safe and cleanrnwater. In order to increase access to water supply in semirnarid regions appropriate technologies such as river sandrndam abstraction systems have to be adopted.