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The government’s announcement that it will soon avail $10 million towards the construction of the long-awaited Gwayi- Shangani Dam has rekindled hopes for a permanent solution to Bulawayo’s perennial water shortages.
The city has over the years been forced to implement various measures to conserve water. At one time the city’s residents were only getting supplies for just three days a week as part of measures to conserve the fast dwindling supplies. The $121 million Gwayi-Shagani Dam is the first phase of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project whose completion will avail water, not just to Bulawayo but the greater part of Matabeleland region.
The project will see the construction of a pipeline from the dam to Bulawayo and another one from Zambezi River to the dam. The pipeline from the dam to Bulawayo will not just pump water to Bulawayo but will avail water along the pipeline thereby creating a green belt.
Farmers along the pipeline are expected to use the water to irrigate crops so massive irrigation schemes are expected to be established along the corridor. The Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa said on Friday that government will soon mobilise $10 million towards the project and the funding is expected to last up to December.
The target is to complete the first phase of the MZWP in 2016 and Cde Chinamasa said he was confident the target will be met. He said government had realised that delays in completing major projects were very costly hence its commitment to ensure the MZWP meets its target.
The government should be commended for finally implementing the MZWP project which was mooted way back in 1912 but successive governments failed to implement it.
The communities that are going to benefit from this massive project should be getting ready to use the water to be availed. The government, according to Minister Chinamasa, has invested more than $2 billion in water bodies but regrettably, most of them are lying idle.
What this means is that no infrastructure such as irrigation schemes was put in place to enable the people to fully utilise the availed water. The government and communities along the planned pipeline from Gwayi-Shangani Dam to Bulawayo should be working on establishing irrigation schemes ahead of the completion of the project so that once the pumping of water starts, farmers can immediately cultivate crops under irrigation.
There are many down stream economic activities expected from this massive project that should change the face of Matabeleland. MZWP has the potential of creating thousands of jobs and this is only possible if communities plan ahead.
We totally agree with Cde Chinamasa that there is no logic in starting new projects before completing the old ones. The government’s thrust therefore should be on mobilising resources to complete projects that are at various stages of completion. It is our hope that government will continue to prioritise projects such as the MZWP meant to boost agricultural production given that agriculture is the backbone of our economy.
Online Reporter