adminInnocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Government has sent a delegation to China to discuss a deal for the construction and incorporation of Kunzvi Dam into the city’s water supply system.
Kunzvi Dam, to be built at the confluence of the Nyaguwe and Nora rivers in Goromonzi district, falls in a different catchment area from Chivero, Manyame, Seke and Harava dams that derive their water from Manyame River.
It is expected that once completed, the dam will ease water problems faced by residents of Harare, Chitungwiza, Ruwa and Norton, having being on the drawing board from as far back as the 1990s.
The then Department of Water Development proposed the idea of the construction of a new reservoir on Nyaguwe River to serve Harare and its satellite towns.
Acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube yesterday confirmed the development, but said the deal was being facilitated by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate.
“A delegation left on Saturday led by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate. I am not privy (edited) to the details,” she said. The Human Resources and General Purposes Committee last week, authorised water distribution manager Engineer Hosiah Chisango and another engineer from the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.
In January this year, Environment, Water and Climate Minister, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri led a delegation of water experts to Netherlands to scout for investment in the water sector.
The trade mission was organised and funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN).
During the same month, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri also announced that the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (zinwa) and Chinese firm Sino Hydro were finalising an agreement for the construction of Kunzvi Dam.
She said zinwa and Sino Hydro were concluding a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the dam to be built under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangement.
“We are close to conclude an MoU between zinwa and Sino Hydro. Kunzvi is going to be a Build-Own-Transfer arrangement where Sino Hydro will be responsible for building, also operating to recover the resources that it would have put in, then lastly transfer the dam to zinwa,” she said.
However, it is not clear whether Sino Hydro is the company which is meeting Government and council representatives.
Online Reporter