LORRAINE NDEBELE THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and the contractor Grindale Engineering have started doing site establishment on the Vungu Dam project, which is expected to be complete in three years.
The Vungu Dam water treatment and irrigation project was awarded to Grindale on December 3, 2021, and an agreement was signed on December 28 of the same year.
Grindale has been mobilising plant equipment.
Resident engineer for Vungu Dam, Funwell Zivave said the completion of the project will be determined by the availability of resources.
“The dam has a length of 2,6 km and a height of 30 meters and the construction of the spewer which is 120 meters lies on the left bank and we are going to construct outlets of the dam which will be used to discharge water needed on the downstream side and to be used in the irrigation areas”, Zivave said.
There are three irrigation areas in Silobela district to be irrigated by water from Vungu Dam.
There is an irrigation area called Ntobe which has 788 hectares of land, Sikhunyana (367 ha) and Nyakwati (345ha).
The Vungu Dam project will cost US$87 million.
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Consultations have since been done with the Silobela community which is excited about the project. A Silobela community member Edison Dube expressed gratitude over several jobs created by the dam construction.
“People were living in fear because of crime but this project has created employment,” he said.
Villagers in the area will be allocated pieces of land on which they will grow cash crops and produce for subsistence.
The main purpose of the dam is for irrigation. It will also provide water for portable and industrial uses at business centres in Silobela. The project is likely to boost tourism in the district.
There are going to be water sports including fishing.
