Solusi Adventist High School in Zimbabwe struck water at a depth of about 150 meters (492 feet), ending a water shortage that had limited the campus for years.

The successful borehole was sunk on June 22. Five earlier holes, some drilled beyond 130 meters (426 feet), came up dry, and each failure carried a high financial cost that the school absorbed while continuing to ration what they had. The burden fell hardest in the dry third term, when regional water tables dropped, and daily operations across the campus were strained.

"As a School Development Committee (SDC), we are pleased to have witnessed a wet hole at the school after several attempts of dry holes," said Sikhanyiso Mcijo Ncube, SDC chairperson.

Water scarcity is a recurring pressure on institutions across Zimbabwe, and boarding schools carry it acutely; sanitation, catering, and grounds all depend on a supply that cannot be interrupted. School authorities say the new borehole will ease those pressures immediately and open the way to development projects that rationing had made impossible.

"We are so excited about having found the precious resource," Ncube said, "which we believe will bring life and turn our school green."

The school is now raising US$8,000 to solarize the pumping system. Solar power would keep the borehole running during outages that interrupt the national grid and reduce operating costs over the life of the installation. Solusi Adventist High School has invited alumni, stakeholders, and well-wishers to contribute.

The original article was published on the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division news site.