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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka has expressed concern over delays in the full implementation of the US$35 million Zhovhe project that is set to turn Beitbridge into a greenbelt and also address the border town’s perennial water woes.
He made the remarks after getting updates from the contractor on the ground today.
Dr Masuka said the project had been on the cards for the past 25 years without meaningful progress on the ground. He said the New Dispensation had secured a US$20 million loan from Kuwait and contributed US$15 million from Treasury to the project.
“I am not happy with the progress here, it’s taking longer than necessary,” said Dr Masuka. “To that end I have instructed the technical team to complete all the preliminary works in the next six weeks so that civil works may begin.”
Dr Masuka said the project will have a 2 500-hectare irrigation project and a 63-km water canal to supply Beitbridge town with water.
He said they expected the irrigation project to be fully operational by the end of next year.
Dr Masuka said on its course to Beitbridge, the water canal will supply commercial farmers in Ward 14 and 6 with irrigation water and adjacent villages.
“As the New Dispensation, our focus is building the economy through increased production in the agriculture sector,” he said. “Therefore, we need to fully utilise all the water bodies to boost farming activities.”
Constructed in 1995, Zhovhe Dam is one of the 10 biggest water bodies in the country and its construction started in 1995, but the works have been stalled for some years.
The irrigation and water canal project was muted in 1998, but nothing much has been done on the ground.
At the moment, the partly constructed dam is being used by fish cooperatives, the Toppick high integrated farm and a few villagers from wards 14, 7 and 11. @tupeyo
Online Reporter