adminAccording to the Gwayi Catchment manager, Engineer Fortune Musoni, the contractor for the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, China International Water and Electric, has started work on the project.
The dam is the major component of the NMZWP which is regarded as the permanent solution to Bulawayo’s perennial water shortage problem.
The project will be implemented in three phases and the first phase is the construction of the dam. The second phase is the construction of a pipeline from the dam to Bulawayo and the final phase is the construction of another pipeline from Zambezi River to the dam.
The project was this year allocated $8 million which is the money being used to kick-start it. Government has secured $864 million from the Chinese Exim Bank for the same project.
The project to supply Zambezi River water to Bulawayo was mooted way back in 1912 but successive governments failed to implement it because it required huge amounts of money.
The Government should therefore be applauded for taking the bold move to implement this massive project which will not only guarantee Bulawayo adequate water supplies for years to come but will change the economy of the entire Matabeleland region.
Farmers along the pipeline will use the water to cultivate crops under irrigation thereby creating a green belt along the pipeline. The agricultural activities along the pipeline will not only guarantee the region food security but will also create jobs as many agro industries are likely to be established in the region.
The implementation of the project is a demonstration by Government that it is planning for the future. The project will not only benefit the present generation but many generations to come.
The challenge now is to ensure that adequate resources are availed to ensure that the project’s completion deadline is met. Government should therefore prioritise this project in its budget every year.
A number of companies have over the years relocated from Bulawayo to other cities and towns and have been citing the issue of water rationing as the reason for leaving the city. The city has been forced to ration water as the present supply dams are failing to supply adequate water.
The situation deteriorated to critical levels during the second half of last year, forcing the city council to introduce water shedding.
Residents are now receiving water for just three days a week as council battles to conserve the fast dwindling water supplies. What is of concern is that despite the heavy rains that have pounded most parts of the country including Matabeleland during the past two weeks, the city’s supply dams’ water levels have improved by just 1,8 percent.
The NMZWP therefore remains the permanent solution to the city’s water supplies challenges and residents of Bulawayo as well as industry and commerce are therefore anxiously awaiting the completion of this project.
The completion of the project will enable the city to woo investors including some that have relocated to other cities and towns because of water shortage.
We want to once again implore Government to continue mobilising resources for this important national project which, as we have already stated, will economically empower the people from the region and the nation at large.
Online Reporter