People rely on water from boreholes—narrow shafts drilled into the ground—many of which are contaminated. Women and children, frequently the ones in the family responsible for going to the borehole, often have to wait up to five hours to collect water. Some Harare residents who spoke to Human Rights Watch said they often had to collect water from shallow, unprotected wells they dig themselves. Shallows wells are susceptible to sewage and other groundwater contamination.