Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
A LOCAL organisation, Odzi Sub Catchment Council, has donated materials valued at ZW$244 103 to irrigation schemes and institutions in Manicaland Province whose infrastructure was damaged by Cyclone Idai two years ago.
Odzi Sub Catchment Council is a river system management established in terms of Section 24 of the Water Act 20:24 of 1998 under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries Water and Rural Resettlement.
It is one of the seven sub-catchment that make up the Save Catchment Council (SCC). The organisation regulates and supervises issuance of water permits both surface and underground.
In an interview, Odzi Sub Catchment Council chairperson, Councillor Simbarashe Gweshe, said the donation consisted of 140 bags of cement and two 5 000 litre tanks to assist irrigation schemes and institutions to repair and maintain their facilities.
“A total of 140 bags of cement and two 5 000 litres tanks were purchased at a total cost of ZW$244 103,20. The donations are our way of giving back to the community to assist these irrigation schemes and institutions in some districts of Manicaland Province,” he said.
“Each irrigation scheme has a committee, which has people who are trained to repair and maintain the canals. As an organisation we saw it fit to assist them with materials they can use for repairing water infrastructures with leakages that reduces the quantity of water supply to communities.”
Cllr Gweshe said some of the facilities in Chimanimani District had been affected and damaged by Cyclone Idai that hit the eastern parts of Zimbabwe in March 2019.
In Chimanimani they gave Nechitima Irrigation Scheme 35 bags of cement, Zimunda irrigation scheme 15 bags and a 5 000 litres tank to Charles Lwanga.
“We also donated in Mutare 10 bags of cement to Nyachowa Falls and 40 bags to Gosho Water Tank. While in Mutasa we gave 20 bags of cement to Odzi Falls, 20 bags to Odzani River Irrigation Company (ORIC) and a 5 000 litres tank to Nyakatsapa High School,” he said.
Online Reporter