adminSifelani Tsiko
Agric & Innovations Editor
For Melusi Sebata (31) of Bulobelo Village in the Nhwali area of Gwanda rural district, a sand dam is a lifesaver.
Before the construction of the Bulobelo sand dam, extreme weather conditions and erratic rainfall had added an edge of desperation to Sebata’s struggle for survival, taking him and his family to the brink of ruin.
Water would dry up quickly after the seasonal rains. This left few sources of water for livestock, gardening and domestic use. The daily search for water in the dry season could take him between 6 and 12 hours or even more.
All this left him with little time to rest or engage in other income generating projects.
This dry and arid region also suffers from back-to-back droughts which forces people and animals to compete for the dwindling water sources.
Water conflicts were a common occurrence.
But all these woes, are happily in the past now following the coming in of the Planting for Progress project implemented by Practical Action in Gwanda and Bulilima rural district.
The £1,49 million (nearly US$1,95 million) project implemented by Practical Action and funded by the UK Aid — a fund by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom, has supported the setting up of solar powered systems in 14 gardens, installation of 12-solar-powered incubators for indigenous poultry projects and two sand dams for beneficiaries in Gwanda and Bulilima districts to empower women and improve livelihoods.
The project has helped to improve agricultural production through increased supply of water for irrigation to gardens and irrigation schemes through solar energy.
The aim of this 29-month project is to increase agricultural productivity and incomes for 1 310 smallholder farmers in the Bulilima and Gwanda districts through adoption of agro-ecology, solar irrigation and sand dams as well as access to finance and markets.
“Our lives here are now going to change for the better as we now have water in our sand dams,” said Sebata.
“Before the construction of this sand dam, we had many problems such as lack of water for growing vegetables and domestic use. Our livestock would die from lack of water and forage.
“We relied on shallow wells we dug out on the seasonal Nhwali River. There were lots of conflicts over water. Water was scarce. We were limited in doing other activities because we spent too much time searching for water.”
Boreholes and wells were over double the distance away from the households in the Nhwali community and were unreliable during the dry season.
In 2021, Sebata and other members of his community started building Bulobelo sand dam across Nhwali River as part of efforts to harness water for livestock, gardens and for general use.
For several months, Sebata and his community worked hard until they completed the sand dam in March this year.
Women and men, toiled for the success of this project. With wheelbarrows, they raced down the bank of the seasonal Nhwali riverbed, laying rocks and steel reinforcements as the dam structure took shape.
They mixed cement with stones and laid the rocks to build the Bulobelo sand dam.
And when the rains came, the sand dam filled up and a carpet of green grass enveloped the edges of the dam.
The forest became lush green with plenty of green vegetation around the sand dam. This reservoir quickly turned into a — Shangri-la — a paradise with a scenic body of water with lush green vegetation, birds flying and a quiet environment.
As if in a fairyland on earth, Sebata said they were now fishing on the pond on the dam.
“When water accumulated on the sand dam, something unthinkable in our dry and arid region happened. There are now lots of fish in the sand dam. People are catching breams and catfish for their own consumption and for selling,” he said.
“I never thought we could catch fish on this sand dam. This reservoir has brought many benefits for us. We never thought that anything like this would happen in our lifetime.”
Built across the Nhwali River, the simple wall catches water and silt that flows down the Nhwali river from nearby mountains.
As sand accumulates at the wall, it traps water which will be held through much of the dry season. Months after natural ponds and rivers have dried up, this sand dam will remain a reliable source of water for four villages, namely — Bulobelo, Sthakeni, Nhwali and Sboza.
With a trace of satisfaction, Bulobelo Sand Dam committee leader — Isaac Siziba said this water body will change the lives of his community.
“Water is very precious for us here in Nhwali. Getting water was tough here. This sand dam has improved water availability for us, for livestock, for gardening and other construction activities at Nhwali Business Centre,” he said.
“We now have enough water for domestic use, for irrigating our crops as well as for our cattle to drink. Improved access to water will encourage our people to grow more crops, set up an orchard and to consider doing a small fishing project here.”
Sand dams have many benefits. The sand dams raise the water table, in the area both above and below the dam. This helps mitigate desertification and the impact of climate change.
In effect, experts say, this creates a “permanent spring”, keeping more water in the area.
Vegetation re-generates on river banks, erosion is reduced and soil quality improves.
With the bounty of plentiful water, Siziba said plans were now underway to establish a solar powered water garden with an orchard.
The farmers are dreaming big and hope to grow vegetables, tomatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes and beans as well as fruits such as mangoes and watermelons.
This was unthinkable earlier.
Sand dams make it possible for thousands of people to obtain water, even at the height of a drought
Precious water that normally runs off would be trapped by the sand dam, making water accessible for the members of the Nhwali community.
Sand dams consist of a concrete embankment built across seasonal streams that flow during the rainy season and run dry during the dry season. When seasonal rains fall, water collects behind the dam underneath the sand on streams and rivers.
The sand acts like a sponge which filters the water that can be harnessed for up to several months after the rains have fallen through sand water abstraction methods or by simply digging a hole in the sand.
Water from sand dams is accessed by digging up holes and through installation of infiltration galleries that drain into shallow wells, where water is then extracted with either a solar pump, hand pump, or submersible electric pumps.
Water experts say sand dams provide a sustainable solution for water-scarce regions in the country which have seen many smallholder farmers relying on food aid and losing cattle to drought.
Sand dams, which are relatively easier to build and maintain, can survive for many years providing water to local communities.
When sand dams are built closer to villages, time spent looking for water is reduced.
Sand dams can help build the resilience of local communities to the changing climatic conditions. The sand dams in Bulilima and Gwanda districts are expected to help communities adapt to climate change by ensuring water availability throughout the year for both people and livestock. And, there is no doubt that as Zimbabwe continues along this path – seeking innovative solutions to mitigate against climate, that the success rate will improve, brightening the lives of thousands of farmers in drought prone parts of the country.
“Bulobelo sand dam has quenched the thirst of water-short people here in Nhwali,” said Bonang Mukwena, a councillor of Ward 24 in Nhwali.
“We need more such projects to quench our thirst for water.”
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