adminThupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
THE government has availed $83,000 towards the construction of the 63km Zhovhe-Beitbridge pipeline, which is expected to improve water supplies to the border town. Zhovhe Dam is one of the ten biggest dams in the country. The dam has the capacity to supply water for commercial irrigation and Beitbridge town for two years even if it does not rain.
Matabeleland South Provincial irrigation officer Engineer Tamuka Moyo yesterday said the $83,000 will be spent on preliminary civil works.
He said they will use part of the money to redo the designs and the canal route pegging.
Eng Moyo said the project had taken longer than necessary to implement due to shortage of funds.
He said about $20 million was required for the construction of the 50km canal from a point where Zinwa will connect the pipeline that supplies the border town with water.
“We are looking at fostering public private partnerships with other development players if the project is to be implemented,” he said.
Eng Moyo said some communal and commercial farmers settled along the canal route were also expected to benefit from the project as they will have access to water for irrigation.
The project has been on the cards for the past seven years.
Zinwa corporate communications manager Priscilla Munyonga said the completion of the Zhovhe project would improve water supplies for Beitbridge.
“At current usage the dam has sufficient capacity to go beyond the next two years. The challenge is that releases from the dam are through the river system, which is wasteful and the completion of this pipeline will improve efficient usage of the water,” she said.
Munyonga said water supply remained a great challenge for Beitbridge town where construction of a new treatment plant with the capacity to pump 2,160 cubic metres of water per hour had been delayed due to lack of funding.
Beitbridge town has a population of 42,218 and requires 15,000 cubic metres of water per day but Zinwa is only pumping a third of that requirement.
Online Reporter