Healthy livestock drink water from a solar-powered borehole in Mathafeni village in Lupane about 600km southwest of Harare, Zimbabwe. (S. Mhofu for VOA)
Mathafeni village about 600 kilometers southwest of Harare is in one of the driest districts in Zimbabwe, but a solar-powered borehole pumps water into a trough where some cattle are drinking.
The borehole supplies water for a dip tank just a few meters away, which helps reduce the risk of waterborne disease.
As Thembani Khumalo waited for his 12 cattle to finish drinking, he said before the borehole was drilled, his children would have to miss school to take the cattle long distances looking for water.
“We are now taking our herds to the dip tank weekly and diseases like lump skin, which used to affect our livestock can now be controlled. There is a very big difference,†he said.
He said fewer livestock are dying and their healthier cows are fetching better prices at market. He said buyers used to offer around $200, but now a beast can fetch up to $600.
Post published in: Featured