Provinces such as Midlands, parts of Mashonaland and Manicaland have abundant water resources, while the Matabeleland region, the south-western parts of Masvingo province as well as areas along the Zambezi Valley suffer chronic shortages, with erratic rainfall.
Matende said most women and children in their village carry the burden of fetching water while men engage in other duties.
He confirmed that in most cases, women and children carry the responsibility of digging these wells and fetching water.
While much has been done to ameliorate water supply in urban areas, little has been done to increase access to safe water for rural communities.
Seventy-five percent of those lacking access live in rural areas and the majority of them are women and children.
In the wake of such water challenges, the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) last month commissioned a $38 000 water pipeline project in Chiwenga ward 24 in Muzarabani.
More than 40% of the population in Muzarabani district without access to safe water is made up of women and children.
Infectious diarrhoea is mainly responsible for the burden caused by water-borne and water-washed diseases.
“Improving access to safe water and basic sanitation services can be the best preventive intervention strategies to reduce diarrhoea.
Unicef in collaboration with the donor community is working on projects to improve access to safe water in both urban and rural communities.