Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]
PARLIAMENTARIANS and Bulawayo councillors have commended the Second Republic for the progress achieved so far in the construction of Lake Gwayi-Tshangani and implored Treasury to urgently release more funds to speed up the project’s completion.
The joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, and Sustainable Development Goals yesterday rounded up its fact-finding mission on the city’s water shortages by visiting the massive Lake Gwayi-Tshangani project, which is expected to provide a long-term solution to bulk water supplies.
Bulawayo councillors and management joined the committee and learnt that funding challenges have stalled construction works.
The Lake Gwayi-Tshangani is part of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project and is viewed as a permanent solution to Bulawayo’s water crisis.
While successive Governments failed to kick start the project, extensive progress has been made under the Second Republic and if funds are released, the dam wall will be completed in 18 months.
Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) resident engineers took the visiting delegation through the works on the ground. Resident engineer, Paul Dengu, said while the dam wall has reached 70 percent, no construction work on the dam wall has been done since November 2022.
He said while previously construction was being done as and when Treasury released finances, going forward they need all the US$84 million to start construction.
“We require US$84 million to reach completion of the dam wall. This year we received US$8 million and we have used it on the construction of the mini-hydro power station because we can’t construct the dam wall,” said Eng Dengu.
“The dam wall requires continuous construction. We can’t start it when we don’t have enough money. That is a critical thing about our dam. It is a roller compacted dam, and its technology of construction requires that we continue doing the construction without stopping,” he said.
“If you don’t have enough money, you don’t start because it creates cracks on the wall. We have already experienced some of that. So, we can’t compromise the integrity of the dam wall.
“The first stage taught us a lesson and we are not going to start until we have enough to finish the roller compacted construction.”
Eng Dengu said the availed funds enabled the contractor to start building the 10 megawatt power station, which is now 40 percent complete.
He said Zinwa, on behalf of the Government, now owes the contractor, China International Water and Electric Corp, over US$120 million and as a result of the delays in meeting the construction deadlines, the project is incurring costs.
“The contract was awarded initially in 2003. So, we are 21 years here. We were supposed to do it in three years and because of financial challenges we are still here,” he said.
“We are now about 70 percent complete. We need another one-and-a-half years to complete the project from where it is now, the dam and initial pump stations to Bulawayo. Dam construction is seasonal and when it is raining we can’t do much,” said Eng Dengu.
He said the construction of the dam wall is supposed to run concurrently with the laying of the Tshangani to Bulawayo pipeline but the project has also suffered stagnation due to financial challenges.
Eng Dengu said US$684 million is needed for the pipeline to Bulawayo and additional costs will be incurred in construction of a water treatment plant.
“On the pipeline we have 12 contractors for the pipeline all the way to Bulawayo and each contractor has 21KM. We have done about 15 percent and the major challenge is still finance,” said Eng Dengu.
“On the power station, we have made some good progress because the amounts which were awarded during the period when we cannot do the dam we channelled towards construction of the mini-hydro station.
“We are about 41 percent on the power station and if the funds continue flowing in, we can do most of the civil and installation of the power station and finish that one in six months.”
Eng Dengu appealed to Parliament to lobby the Government to release funds to make the critical project a reality and permanently address the water crisis in Bulawayo.
Acting Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Parliamentary Portfolio chairperson, Cde Albert Nyakuyedzwa, said the committee had achieved its mission as it had obtained first-hand information of the water situation in Bulawayo.
He said despite Government having competing national projects, President Mnangagwa has invested in infrastructure development, including Lake Gwayi-Tshangani.
“There are infrastructural development projects that have been rolled out since President Mnangagwa’s administration came to power. Despite financial challenges, there has been significant progress in the construction of Gwayi-Tshangani Dam,” he said.
“The dam is 70 percent complete and it’s the second largest in the country and we are building this dam using our local resources as we can’t access international credit due to sanctions,” said Cde Nyakuyedzwa.
“So, in sync with President Mnangagwa’s vision, we are using our own resources to build the dam. We came to assess this project and we are now going to lobby the Treasury to release more funds so people in Bulawayo can get water from this project which becomes a lasting solution to the water situation.”
Bulawayo deputy mayor, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, also challenged the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee to lobby the executive to release the funds for the completion of the project.
“We have seen the progress that has been made at Gwayi-Tshangani Dam and we want to thank the Central Government for the work that has been done already,” he said.
“We will urge this portfolio committee to go and make our plea to the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion (Prof Mthuli Ncube) to release more funds for the completion of this dam because it is the panacea to the water challenges we have as the City of Bulawayo,” said Clr Ndlovu.
Once completed the dam will also result in creation of tourism activities while a green belt will be established along the pipeline to Bulawayo ensuring that Matabeleland North contributes to national food security. – @nqotshili
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