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Ashton Mutyavaviri
THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has urged water users to use the available water sparingly on the backdrop of continued declining water levels in dams due to lack of inflows, high temperatures and drawdowns by irrigators and local authorities.
ZINWA corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga yesterday revealed that as at November 22, the average dam level had dropped to 76, 1 percent compared to 80 percent during the corresponding period last year.
Mrs Munyonga said: “The authority will closely monitor demand patterns and make interventions by drilling boreholes where necessary.”
She added that ZINWA would also keep monitoring areas such as Gokwe Centre, Tsholotsho, Chivi, Nembudziya, Birchenough Bridge, Dete, Madziva Centre and Dotito that are supplied with ground water or through sand abstraction.
She also said water held in the dams was still enough to last for a period of at least 21 months at current demand even in the absence of inflows.
Meanwhile, agriculture experts have urged farmers to harvest rainwater for sustainable crop production to curb crop moisture deficits in case of drought.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Dr Shadreck Makombe said farmers should practise water harvesting to ensure that they have enough water to irrigate crops during dry periods.
“In view of the impending El Nino, water harvesting can also be practiced with shallow wells also critical at this stage. Farmers need to find ways to harvest water for future production,” said Dr Makombe.
Due to the sporadic rainfall patterns that the country is receiving, farmers have to invest more in projects such as rainwater harvesting, added Dr Makombe.
Rainwater harvesting has been practised in arid and semi-arid regions of the world to alleviate water shortages for human consumption and agricultural purposes.
The initiative supports Government’s drive to boost agricultural production as adopting conservative methods to climate-proof agriculture.
Rainwater harvesting involves using techniques that allow the capture and utilisation of rainfall for sustainable smart agriculture.
It is key in mitigating the effects of climate change to ensure food and water security in the country.
Tobacco Farmers Union Trust president Mr Victor Mariranyika concurred that rainwater harvesting would ensure the country has more irrigation water to supplement production in the face of normal to below-normal season.
“Farmers should use the harvested water for agricultural production. They need to use water that we are receiving wisely in order to improve productivity,” said Mr Mariranyika.
Online Reporter