Calvin Manika
MATABELELAND North province is set to benefit in various ways from the much touted Gwayi-Shangani Dam, Matabeleland North provincial affairs minister Richard Moyo has said.
In his recent visit to the dam which is already under construction to monitor progress, Moyo remained optimistic that the first phase of the project will be complete within the set deadlines.
“The dam must be completed within the set timeframe. We have secured funds for the completion of the project and work must continue in earnest,” said Moyo.
The visit follows a recent visit by Moyo and his Bulawayo counterpart Judith Ncube to inquire about the status of the flagship project. Gwayi – Shangani Dam is also expected to supply potable water in the city of Bulawayo which has experienced decades of water crisis.
This comes after government recently revealed that work has started to prepare 10 000 hectares of land for establishment of irrigation projects under the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP).
The contractor, China International Water and Electric Corporation (CWE), told the minister that crews have since adopted a 24-hour shift to ensure completion of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam — a major component of the century old project — this year.
This comes amid revelations that about 350 households, a majority of them on the Binga side of the dam, could be relocated.
Gwayi-Shangani Dam, located in Mabale, Hwange District, will be linked by two pipelines, one to the Zambezi River and another to Bulawayo.
The government proposes to create a maize belt in the lowveld areas of Masvingo, Bulawayo Kraal in Binga and Kanyemba, Mashonaland Central through the Agriculture Recovery Plan under which the country will be able to do two maize cycles per year under irrigation.
Under the Agriculture Recovery Plan, it is envisaged that they will be opening up 100 000 hectares of land in the first three years to 2023. By 2023, the first phase is envisaged to produce up to 1 million metric tonnes of grain targeting to satisfy industrial needs as well as exports.
Under the second phase of the greenbelt project, government is targeting citrus plantation, macadamia and pecan nuts.
It is set to also benefit Binga and Hwange districts, as well as communities along the pipeline to Bulawayo and end in Cowdray Park where it is expected to permanently solve the city’s perennial water challenges.
The completion of the dam will see a hydroelectric power plant being built near the dam. The power plant with a capacity of 10 MW is expected to augment the other power plants output on the national grid.
