Problems of access to water in Zimbabwe
effectively represented. Where representation is unbalanced, affirmative action is needed over an agreed period, governed by clearly established criteria. To ensure
quality rep resentation of women‟s interests in decision-making bodies and
management structures, careful analysis is required to ensure equality in the distribution of work, paid opportunities, skills-development and capacity building
initiatives, as well in as the b enefits of any planned action. Adequate women‟s
participation in decision-making bodies in the water sector has to be ensured at all levels.
Despite some reported successes in developing the participation of women in projects, there is need to improve on women in catchment and
subcatchments councils and to understand more fully how their current roles could be supported and enhanced. Problems connected with women‟s roles in
water management can vary radically because of geographical context e.g. urban and rural. This participation should neither tokenistic nor an added burden on
those concerned Nicol, 1997. Since women are significantly over-represented among the poor, limited
access to and use of water contributes to the feminisation of poverty and to the entrenchment of poverty in general. Where there are conflicting needs, those of
the women have to be recognised and respected Francis et al. 2001. Water development and management policies and programmes that exclude women as
actors, and as an interest group, bypass half the population and are lower in efficiency and effectiveness Francis et al. 2001.
Indigenous women possess traditional knowledge and skills concerning the sensinglocating of water and protection of the source. Water sources on
indigenous lands are often considered a sacred element, and indigenous women may be the holders of „water knowledge‟. Their traditional land management
skills often provide the most effective method of water resource management in their settlement areas. However, indigenous peoples are seriously affected by
their uncompensated and unsustainable loss of water to farming and other industries introduced from outside their communities thereby disempowering
them.
The water sector can contribute to redressing inequality and can impact positively on the social, political and economic position of women. Equitable
access to water for productive use can empower women and address the root causes of poverty and gender inequality. Research in rural Pakistan showed that
poor access to water reduces the time that women devote to market-oriented activities and increases women‟s total work burden Ilahi and Grimard, 2000.
Costa et al. empirically showed that water provision reduces the total work burden on women in rural Ghana. My personal experience in Zimbabwe confirms
that. However Coulombe and Wodon, 2008 found that access to infrastructure does not significantly affect the total number of hours women work in Ghana.
But they suggest that the time saved from domestic work as a result of infrastructure provision might be used for remunerated activities.
Well targeted services can improve the health and security of women and their families, and free them to engage in social, economic, and political
activities, thus tack ling „time poverty.‟ Time poverty is defined as the situation
where women‟s time is inflexible, consumed by routine and non-productive tasks, perpetuating their absence from decision making and other profitable
pursuits World Bank, 2006. Well-planned water programs offer a real opportunity for women to
exercise authority and leadership within a community and to extend their influence beyond community level to address the strategic needs of women in the
water sector. Lack of access ownership to land may
be one of the causes of women‟s limited access to water and a key reason for the greater poverty of female-headed
households. even where women do have a legal right to land, customs often prevent them from taking de facto control of land and natural resources, not only
in Zimbabwe but in other African countries such as Burkina Faso and Cameroon. In Zimbabwe, women and female children are frequently the main
providers of water for household use. Women often disproportionally bear the burden related to water shortages as the girl child may forego schooling and
childhood in order to transport water from distant sources if a water system fails yet major decisions in communities are normally taken by men. The same gender