adminWhinsley Masara Chronicle Reporter
TOKWE-Mukosi Dam is almost complete and may start collecting water for irrigation purposes this coming rainy season, a Cabinet Minister has said.
The Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, told MPs during the National Assembly’s question and answer session recently that the dam was 95 percent complete.
She said the government was mobilising funds to deposit into the contractor’s foreign bank account.
“The government has mobilised all the necessary resources required in order to complete the dam which is at 95 percent completion stage and all power supplies have already been restored.
“The contractor has already mobilised back on site essential expatriate experts and all the necessary papers while all renovations to the camp have been completed. In addition, all the power supplies have also been restored,” she said.
The Minister said the government was mobilising external funds for the purchase of dam equipment and materials that are not locally manufactured.
“Meanwhile, the government is mobilising external funds to deposit into the contractor’s foreign account so that the contractor is able to buy dam instrumentation equipment and materials that aren’t locally manufactured.
“Our hope is that the negative impact of climate change which manifested into drought and floods this year will be a thing of the past,” she said.
Muchinguri-Kashiri said 25, 000 hectares is expected to be put under irrigation when the dam is fully operational.
She said the government was already seized with ensuring that the irrigation scheme is operationalised as soon as the dam is completed.
Online Reporter