Investigation of Water supply challenges in Thulamela Municipality: A case study of Bunzhe and Tshififi villages

Abstract

Water is one of the basic needs for the survival of human beings. Water is used for drinking, food preparation and hygienic purposes, however, rural areas are still faced with serious water supply challenges; water supply challenges also impact on a country’s development. Rural areas which experience water supply challenges are likely to face disruption of food supply for their people, as well as negatively affect livestock and economic development. According to UN-Water (2006), water supply challenge is a situation whereby water sources become inadequate for the community due to factors like, problem with infrastructure, increase in population and others that may lead to problems with supplying water for different categories of consumption. The focus of this study is on water supply challenges at Bunzhe and Tshififi villages in Thulamela Municipality. In recognition of the essential nature of water, Thulamela municipality has three dams and, although, they are filled with water, villagers residing next to such big dams do not get enough water. The study found that the causes of water supply change are, mainly - population growth, illegal connections, incapacity, aged infrastructure of the Vondo purification plants and the poor state of R3 water main pipelines which supply water to Bunzhe and Tshififi villages. Findings revealed the challenges affecting the daily livelihoods of the people in the two villages, such as in the rearing of livestock, farming and informal businesses that serve as their sources of income, as they obtain below 50 liters of water per day. Water supply challenges, in addition, were identified as contributing to illiteracy as learners miss their classes when they have to fetch water far from their homes, from nearby villages. People are forced to gather, for long periods of time, at one tap as competition for water is very high; the ratio stands at 1:148 households per tap. This contributes to conflict, spread of contagious diseases such as fever, chickenpox, tuberculosis and coronavirus (Covid-19). Recommendations are that the government should employ more skilled workers, including qualified engineers, water scientists, managers, technicians and artisans to enhance water supply to the villages. A cross-sectional survey design and analytical descriptive method were used in this research. Random sampling was used, to ensure that every household got an equal chance to be selected. Questionnaires, observations and interviews were used to collect primary data while analysis of documented materials were used to collect secondary data. The study concluded by suggesting possible strategies which can be used to alleviate water supply challenges in the study area.