…as climate change threatens food production
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI– The government is still to identify the 25000ha of land to be irrigated with water from Tugwi-Mukosi Dam at a time the world is currently in an overdrive to address climate change issues that are threatening food sustainability as rain patterns are exponentially changing.
The utilization of Tugwi-Mukosi water is likely to take decades just like the construction of the dam itself as it has spilled twice within a period of two years, threatening lives of those living downstream, especially along Runde River where it has disconnected Chiredzi South with the Central Business District where the inhabitants access social services like the registry.
The US$200 million dollar 1,8 billion m3 reservoir, which is the largest inland dam was designed to provide irrigation water to the Lowveld Sugar Estates and surrounding communal farmers with a capacity to irrigate 25000 hectares of land.
It was also designed with the capacity for hydro-electric power generation and can generate six megawatts but none has materialized except the water irrigating the sugar plantations, with more water being lost through spilling.
Agriculture specialist and former Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Director, Farai Musikavanhu said the dam was designed for irrigation purposes covering vast areas in Mwenezi, Chivi, Chiredzi and some parts of Masvingo district.
“The said Tugwi-Mukosi was designed and built primarily for irrigation purposes targeting mainly Chiredzi, Chivi and Mwenezi districts as well as parts of Masvingo. Government has come up with a master plan to utilize the Tugwi-Mukosi waters for both communal and commercial purposes,” said Musikavanhu.
He also said this has been delayed by the challenge of the transition from dry land to irrigated culture in order to create a win-win situation with all affected individuals.
“The challenge at hand now is to ensure that the transition from dryland to irrigated agriculture in the affected wards is done in a win-win manner that ensures all affected stakeholders can attain the aspirations of vision 2030 as enunciated by President Mnangagwa,” added Musikavanhu.
Tugwi-Mukosi, which was officially opened in May 2017 is now four years old and is slowly becoming a white elephant though Musikavanhu said the dam has the potential to be a game changer for Masvingo province as well as Zimbabwe at large.
“Tugwi-Mukosi is a major game changer for Masvingo as we seek to increase our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current US$1.8 billion to US$8 billion by 2030. Government agriculture master plan has ample provision for food security not just for Masvingo province but for the whole nation more so, as we cannot continue to rely on rain fed agriculture due to climate change,” said Musikavanhu.
The country is just eight years ahead of 2030, where Vision 2030 is expected to be achieved, and with efforts being shown towards the utilization of Tugwi-Mukosi waters to revert to irrigation and venture into smart agriculture to counteract climate change are not doing any good.
The President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangwagwa when he was still the Vice President of Zimbabwe, once said he had a vision of transforming the Lowveld into a greenbelt and ultimately transforming Masvingo province to be the bread basket for the country but now seems to be retarding towards the vision.
Tugwi-Mukosi which has a capacity to irrigate more than 25000 hectares of land could now be utilized by farmers in Chiredzi South towards the growth of Lucerne, if the government had procedurally engaged the villagers towards the vision, a development likely to be met with resistance from villagers who are afraid of losing their ancestral land to Dendairy as the case has been in the courts.
