IDBZ moves to exploit Tugwi-Mukosi Dam water

Government’s plans to start exploiting water in Tugwi-Mukosi Dam have gathered momentum, with the Infrastructural Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) already in the process of identifying more than 25 000 hectares to be irrigated by the water body in arid parts of southern Masvingo.

Government last year appointed the financial institution as its consultant to identify bankable projects at the reservoir together with investors to spearhead exploitation of the water body’s vast economic potential.

Teams seconded by the bank have already hit the ground running, carrying out environmental impact assessments in areas earmarked for irrigation development using water from Tugwi-Mukosi.

Masvingo provincial administrator Mr Fungai Mbetsa yesterday said IBDZ was on the ground preparing for the anticipated irrigation development in southern Masvingo using Tugwi-Mukosi water.

He said the financial institution has already been to Chingwizi at the Nuanetsi Ranch in Mwenezi where families displaced by Tugwi-Mukosi Dam are expected to benefit from the water in the dam.

“IDBZ is on the ground identifying irrigable land around Tugwi-Mukosi Dam.

“The task at the moment is to identify land in surplus of 25 000ha, particularly in downstream areas that can be irrigated and the bank, which is the consultant at the project, is spearheading that,” he said.

“Teams from the bank have already been to Chingwizi to carry out an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) because the area is home to part of the land earmarked for irrigation using Tugwi-Mukosi water.

“Government made an undertaking to families displaced by the dam in 2014 that they were going to be among the first to benefit from its water through irrigation and this is what is happening.’’

Mr Mbetsa said findings by IDBZ will be factored in the crafting of the dam’s master plan that will give a comprehensive picture of the land use patterns at the reservoir and downstream areas.

“The teams that are doing the EIAs are also carrying out things like soil sampling among others to help in the identification of land that will be best to irrigate using Tugwi-Mukosi water,” said Mr Mbetsa.

The Masvingo provincial administrator expressed optimism that the dam’s master plan will be created soon before approval by Cabinet, paving the way for actual development at Tugwi-Mukosi and surrounding areas.

Mr Mbetsa emphasised that the dam’s flood victims at Chingwizi remained a top priority for Government in terms of benefiting from the dam’s water.

Government, he said will help the families to develop irrigable plots for them to venture into commercial crop production.

Over 3 000 families were relocated from the flooded Tugwi-Mukosi basin in early 2014, in arguably the largest mass relocation of people by Government in post-independent Zimbabwe.

The families were resettled at Chingwizi in Mwenezi and have been clamouring to benefit from Tugwi-Mukosi irrigation water as compensation for their relocation from their ancestral homes.

Tugwi-Mukosi is now Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam with a capacity of 1,8 billion cubic metres.