Open Ag Partners With Local Farmers to Deliver 100 Boreholes

Agricultural NGO Open Ag has partnered with local farmers and landowners to deliver 100 new boreholes in Keembe constituency, with ten set to be completed by the end of the year.

On Tuesday, engineers complete two boreholes at Muundu and Muuluka, allowing local residents to start drawing clean, fresh water for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

On Wednesday, two more boreholes were dug at Nkhala Community School and Chinwangowa. Then on Friday a further borehole was finished at Nyamfula Primary School, bringing the total to five.

The ongoing drought in southern Africa, caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon and exacerbated by climate change, has left over 40% of rural communities in Zambia without access to clean water. This includes many of the citizens in Keembe.

The delivery of the boreholes will help to alleviate the effects of the drought. Though rains are expected through November and December, the arid soil conditions mean it is unable to hold moisture so deep wells and boreholes will remain essential for sourcing water.

These boreholes, with five more on the way before the end of the year, mark a turning point for Keembe as the constituency begins to recover from the impact of the devastating drought and local residents once again have access to essential, life-giving water.

A local resident uses the new water pump in Muundu following the completion of the borehole on Tuesday 5 November.