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Farirai Machivenyika in HWANGE
At least US$48 million is required next year to ensure the completion of Lake Gwayi-Shangani, Zimbabwe National Water Authority’s (Zinwa) director for engineering and hydrological services, Engineer Takudza Makwangudze, said yesterday.
Eng Makwangudze said this during a tour of the Lake Gwayi-Shangani construction site in the Mabale area under Hwange District, by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement.
He thanked Government for funding the construction of the project since 2017 after it had been in limbo for a long time.
Construction of the lake was first mooted in 1912, but never materialised until after the coming of the Second Republic in November 2017.
Apart from resolving the long-standing water woes for the City of Bulawayo, the lake is also expected to provide water for at least 10 000 hectares of land in the districts of Binga, Hwange and Lupane and communities that stay along the route of the pipeline, from Gwayi to Bulawayo.
“We have made remarkable progress on the dam (now lake) as you can see. We have received support from Treasury, which we continue to request,” said Eng Makwangudze.
“What I would want to say is that for this dam to be successfully completed, we need continuous disbursement of at least US$4 million every month and this will allow us to do two metres of the wall every month (until its complete).”
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So far, 39 metres of the lake wall have been constructed out of the 72 metres required.
“However, seeing the delays in terms of disbursement, we are saying for the dam to be functional and start impounding water, we need about US$48 million and if it’s going to be disbursed in 2025, then we know come the end of 2025, we will have completed.
“But if we are going to complete all the works associated with the dam component of the project, we will require US$84 million,” he said.
Other components of the Lake Gwayi-Shangani project include completion of the wall superstructure, completion of the power house for the hydro-electricity plant and the first pump house that would be used to pump water to the City of Bulawayo.
Chairman of the Portfolio Committee, Cde Felix Maburutse, praised President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic for ensuring the project takes off after prolonged delays.
“We thank the President for his visionary leadership that ensured the construction of the dam takes off.
“We will also lobby Treasury as a Committee to ensure that the required funds are released for the completion of the project,” he said.
Online Reporter