by Xinhua writers Ye Ting, Xu Zheng
HARARE, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The rhythmic clack-clack of an iron hand pump is followed by bursts of laughter from women and children waiting in line with wheelbarrows loaded with empty containers.
In Bumba, a hillside village in Zimbabwe's eastern Manicaland Province, a stream of clean water gushes from a spout, a simple yet transformative sight in a community once ravaged by one of the worst natural disasters in Southern Africa.
To locals, this is far more than an ordinary water source. They affectionately call it the "borehole of happiness," a gift from China that has become a lifeline for a community still recovering from the scars of Tropical Cyclone Idai while confronting the growing challenges of climate change.
More than seven years have passed since the devastating cyclone tore through Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi in March 2019, leaving more than 1,000 people dead and millions displaced.
"The cyclone destroyed our homes, washed away our crops, and contaminated our wells," recalled Prayer Musongo, who runs a small grocery shop at the village entrance. "We were displaced, stranded without food or clean water, just waiting for relief."
Following the disaster, the Chinese government and the local Chinese community moved swiftly, dispatching critical relief supplies to help communities survive the immediate crisis.
But China's support did not end when the emergency subsided. As relief efforts gave way to reconstruction, the focus shifted toward helping communities rebuild stronger and become more resilient.
Over the years, Chinese assistance has supported the reconstruction of homes and schools while investing in long-term projects such as drilling boreholes to restore reliable access to safe drinking water.
The importance of these water projects has only grown with time. In recent years, climate change has brought increasingly severe droughts to Zimbabwe. In 2024, the government declared a state of disaster as El Nino-induced drought threatened national food security. In Bumba, old wells dried up, leaving villagers struggling to secure even the most basic necessities.
It was at that moment that the "borehole of happiness" truly lived up to its name.
"Our old wells could no longer pump water. We were desperate," said Tairo Muzowakas, a local villager who came to fetch water with her mother-in-law. "This Chinese-aided borehole arrived just in time. It sustains my family of seven, providing water for drinking and our vegetable gardens. China helped us when we needed it most, and it has truly warmed our hearts."
The villagers' heartfelt gratitude has, in turn, inspired the Chinese engineers working on the ground.
Wang Jian, a project manager from China Geo-Engineering Corporation involved in the borehole drilling initiative, recalled the welcome his team received when they arrived in Nyanga, another cyclone-affected area in the province.
"The roads were severely damaged, but when the villagers learned we were coming to drill wells, they spontaneously organized themselves to repair the roads for our heavy equipment," Wang said. "Some even cooked their own chickens to prepare meals for us. We were deeply moved. We told ourselves that no matter how hard the rock is, we must find water for them."
Today, the scars left by Cyclone Idai are gradually fading. In Bumba, the water flowing from the "borehole of happiness" does more than quench thirst. It nurtures hope, restores livelihoods, and reflects the enduring impact of China-Zimbabwe cooperation in helping communities build resilience in the face of a changing climate. ■