Tokwe-Murkosi Dam nears completion

The dam, which is expected to cost about US$140 million, is scheduled for completion by the end of next year.
It will be Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam holding 1,8 billion cubic metres of water.
Speaking after a recent tour to assess progress at the dam, Water Resources Development and Management Minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo said Government was prioritising the Tokwe-Murkosi Dam in the allocation of financial resources for work to be completed at the end of next year.
Minister Nkomo said about US$70 million has so far been spent in building the dam, whose actual construction started in 1998.
“As Government, we are very happy with the progress here and we are very hopeful that by the end of next year the dam would have been completed and that is our target,” he said.
“I am also happy with the funding from Government which has so far pumped in US$70 million into the dam project over the past two years.
“The entire dam project is going to cost US$140 million.”
Minister Nkomo said Government was making available an average allocation of US$5 million per month towards the dam project, a move he said speeds up completion of the dam.
Minister Nkomo said the major focus was to complete building of five saddle dams which are being hindered by the slow pace in relocating families from the dam’s flood area.
Excavation work on the dam wall foundation has already started and is running concurrently with building of the saddle dams, while the inlet and outlet tunnels have already been completed.
Upon completion, some of the water from Tokwe-Murkosi dam will be fed into already existing canals that supply water to the Lowveld sugar estates. An Italian company Salini Impregilio is the main contractor of the dam situated in Chivi South.
The dam is expected to irrigate about 25 000 hectares and increase Zimbabwe’s sugar output by about 15 percent.
Building of the dam started in 1998 and was due for completion in April 2002 at a cost of 390 million Zimbabwean dollars.
Salini Impregilio stopped work in 1999 due to payment problems.
The project only resumed in 2010 after the Government made payments to Salini Impregilio.