Online Reporter
Precious Manomano, Patience Maturure
Herald Reporters
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has directed the acceleration of works at Kunzvi and Gwayi-Shangani dam sites so that the two projects are completed on time.
At Kunzvi, significant strides have been made, with works reaching 65 percent completion.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka said this yesterday in Murehwa while addressing journalists during a tour of Kunzvi dam.
“The dams (Kunzvi and Gwayi-Shangani) are on course to impound water this season but that has necessitated the urgent relocation of people that are on the spillway. What we are seeing here is that relocation, the reorganisation of people.
“In the past, these people would have been taken elsewhere, but these are being reorganised within their communities by traditional leaders,” he said.
Minister Masuka said the initiative is aimed at sparking community involvement and engagement, overcoming relocation concerns and negativity.
“These people that have been reorganised within their community will tell you this is the best model.
“In the past, they would have been sent to a new location, perhaps on another farm, away from their relatives and their culture and upbringing,” he said.
The irrigation component of the project is making significant progress, with the identification of a 200-hectare block in line with Vision 2030 accelerator initiatives.
“We are supplying water to villages. So we are putting a small treatment works for the rural areas, including supplying Juru growth point.
“Then we are also doing water for Harare. We are in the process of opening up a line to Harare, so there will be treatment works at each point,” he said.
Dr Masuka said the fisheries project will comprise two components, including community-run fisheries stocked with Tilapia and Nile Tilapia, offering cage and potentially roadside fishing opportunities.
“But we will also organise communities into a company so that they can do commercial cage fishing. The last component of this project is electricity generation. Every project must be able to generate its own electricity,” he said.
The project now includes an electricity supply component to serve residential areas.
Meanwhile, the Government is expediting the compensation of 445 families who were affected by the project. So far 10 families have been compensated.
Kunzvi dam is located on Nyagui River at the border of Murehwa and Goromonzi districts and is among key projects targeted to be completed soon.
The dam is expected to provide water for the irrigation of at least 500 hectares of land for surrounding communities, as well as for domestic purposes in the expanding Juru Growth Point, Cross and Musami Business Centres and Majuru Business Centre in Goromonzi.
Additionally, it aims to help alleviate water challenges in Harare.
