Kunzvi Dam water pipeline works start

WORK has started on the clearance of land for the laying of a pipeline from Kunzvi dam to Harare while excavation of the treatment plant is ongoing.

When Kunzvi Dam is finished, it will feed Ruwa and Chitungwiza, two of the capital's eastern suburbs, helping to alleviate Harare's water shortages. Because the dam is located upstream of the city rather than downstream of the extremely polluted Lake Chivero, water treatment expenditures will be reduced. The location of the dam is on the Nyanguvi River, close to Juru Growth Point, 67 kilometers northeast of the capital. During a recent trip, resident engineer Davison Madondo of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) stated that the dam's construction is proceeding according to plan.

"We started the project in 2021, and as of right moment, we are 47% done. At the moment, materials are being added to the dam wall. Fuel, cement, and explosives must be supplied well in advance of the rainy season, he stated. According to Eng. Madondo, the more than 300 homes residing on the crucial path of construction, which includes downstream and along the dam wall, must also be resettled because their prolonged presence is impeding the completion of the project.

Some of our relatives live close to where we work. They need to be moved since their existence interferes with our operations, which includes blasting. Since then, we have located a new location for them, thanks to the suggestion of Chief Mangwende of Murehwa. "They will benefit equally from the 500 hectares of irrigation that can be drawn from the dam," he stated. According to Eng. Madondo, the government has since begun marking the sites where the villagers would be relocated and pegging plots for every household slated to gain from the irrigation project. It was necessary to move a few graves.

Since then, we've talked to the traditional leaders in the area, and a different location has been found. While 64 households must be immediately moved and will benefit from the irrigation initiative, reburial procedures for 17 graves are currently in progress, he stated. Through the sale of goods, food, and agricultural produce, the community benefited and more than 150 local adolescents were employed. The dam's construction is scheduled to end in December of this year, having started in 2021. There will be irrigation water available for neighboring areas in addition to Harare and the nearby towns. In order to address Bulawayo's water issues, the government has built a number of dams, including Machekeranwa in Marondera and Marovanyati in Buhera. Construction is presently underway on the Gwayi-Shangani.