Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
GOVERNMENT is accelerating the development of a 63km canal between Zhovhe Dam and Beitbridge Town as part of broader plans to cover a total of 350 000 hectares of farming land to be put under irrigation.
At the moment the country has about 75 000 hectares under irrigation farming and this has to be increased to ensure adequate food production in the midst of climate change.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, on Friday visited Beitbridge where he revealed that 13 dams and new irrigation infrastructure were being constructed countrywide while in some areas obsolete projects were being revived.
He said the Government was also finalising preliminary works to speed up the full implementation of the US$35 million Zhovhe irrigation project, which is set to turn Beitbridge into a greenbelt. Under this intervention, the Zhovhe project will be expanded to include citrus farming and fisheries.
Constructed in 1995, Zhovhe Dam is one of the 10 biggest water bodies in the country with a holding capacity of 133 million cubic metres.
The irrigation and water canal project was mooted in 1998, but nothing much was done on the ground until the coming in of the New Dispensation led by President Mnangagwa, which secured a US$20 million loan from Kuwait and contributed US$15 million from the Treasury to the project.
The dam is currently being used by fish co-operatives, the Toppick Investments’ highly-integrated farm, and a few villagers from wards 7, 11 and 14.
Dr Masuka, who met with the Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution from across the country said the transformation of Zhovhe would be a game changer in the country’s food security and rural industrialisation matric.
On its course to Beitbridge, the water canal would supply commercial and smallholder farmers in Wards 14 and 6 with irrigation water and adjacent villages.
“We met for our monthly interactive meeting with Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, and the most critical issue was the current El-Nino-induced drought,” said Dr Masuka.
“We had reports from across the country where the crop situation is indicated as being ranging from fair to dire. We also spoke about livestock and the need to prepare for hay and additional water during the dry period.
“Here at Zhovhe Dam, the Kuwait-funded project was very narrow considering that it was just looking at commercial irrigation,” he added.
“Now we have expanded its scope to include fisheries, be it commercial and community fisheries, the V30 Accelerator Model where we are going to do 200 hectares as we convey the water to Beitbridge. So now the community is involved.”
Minister Masuka said the Government was also going to create facilities for portable drinking water for communities, schools and rural service centres on the course of the canal.
“So, this is our plan to bring Zhovhe Dam water into production and productivity that benefits the local population,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Government is also working on the finer details to supply raw 15 million cubic metres of water to South Africa annually.
In this regard, Dr Masuka said a pipeline from Beitbridge Town already exists and that it just needs to be customised.
He said the transfer agreement between Zimbabwe and South Africa will be signed in the shortest possible time.
During the ministers’ interactive meeting, discussions also covered the Presidential rural development programmes and how these could be accelerated.
“We also had a very long discussion on land issues including distribution and the need for people to occupy land legally and the consequences for those that do not follow the established procedures,” said Dr Masuka.
“We then had a wrap-up in terms of looking for investments and accelerating dam construction and we agreed that we need a proof of concept on how we can attract investment to accelerate irrigation development in view of the El Nino effect and climate change.”
The meeting also resolved to have an investment conference at Tugwi-Mukorsi Dam in Masvingo to promote investment and unlock production and productivity. —@tupeyo
Online Reporter