A new survey has revealed that 70% of Zimbabweans rate their government’s performance in providing water and sanitation services as poor, highlighting a deepening utility crisis across the country.
The latest Afrobarometer report shows that water supply has climbed to the fifth-most urgent problem citizens want the government to address. According to the data, 60% of households experienced clean water shortages at least once over the past year. Crucially, nearly half of the population, 49%, reported facing these shortages repeatedly, marking a 10-percentage point surge in chronic water insecurity over the past decade.
The infrastructural deficit remains a massive hurdle, with only 37% of surveyed areas possessing piped water systems accessible to most households. Instead, 54% of citizens now rely on tubewells or boreholes as their primary water source, and a majority must travel outside their compounds to collect water.
Sanitation is equally strained. Only 31% of the areas monitored feature proper sewage systems, leaving a mere 25% of citizens with indoor toilets. Climate change has worsened the strain, prompting 45% of Zimbabweans to actively ration their water usage or seek alternative sources over the past five years.
–ChannelAfrica/Afrobarometer–
