The heavy rains that pounded parts of Zimbabwe recently have filled up dams in some areas and brought respite to many communities whose water sources were running critically low.
In rural Plumtree, some dams that were on the verge of drying up have spilled for the first time since the start of the rainy season late last year.
“We are happy that at least now there is water for our livestock,” said former councilor for Madlambudzi village, Thamani Ncube.
Plumtree, located in Matabeleland South Province, is one of the areas hardest hit by the El Nino-induced drought that has left 3 million Zimbabweans needing food aid and killed thousands of livestock.
Ncube said while the rains couldn’t have come at a better time, he was worried about thousands of people facing hunger and possible starvation in his area.
Aid agencies and the government, he said, should move in quickly with aid and avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe.
“We have not seen any aid yet here, and the situation is so bad,” Ncube said. “We need food aid; people are going hungry. Some families are not sleeping on empty stomachs.