New dam proposed to boost Masvingo irrigation potential

From George Maponga in Masvingo
Government has been urged to consolidate Masvingo’s growing status as the country’s irrigation hub by initiating work on a proposed Runde-Tende Dam in southern Chivi that will provide irrigation water for nearly 30 000 hectares per annum.

The proposed dam on the confluence of Runde and Tende rivers will have capacity of over one billion cubic metres.

Preliminary design work on the dam was done long ago, but work could not begin due to lack of funding.

It will supply irrigation water to arid parts of southern Mwenezi and Chiredzi.

Government recently completed Tokwe-Mukosi Dam in Chivi.

It has potential to irrigate more than 25 000 hectares amid calls to introduce command irrigation and create perennial greenbelts in surrounding areas using the dam’s water.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development responsible for Cropping, Davis Marapira said construction of Runde-Tende Dam would make Masvingo an irrigation powerhouse in Zimbabwe.

He said the planned dam’s irrigation capacity, coupled with existing dams in the arid province, would make Masvingo the country’s breadbasket.

“If Runde-Tende Dam comes on board, it means more than 30 000 hectares will be open to irrigation in southern Mwenezi, Chiredzi and Matibi 2 where there are very good soils which can only be exploited agriculturally under irrigation,’’ he said.

“Masvingo province can be a model to implement command irrigation where Government would encourage production of certain crops under irrigation to produce enough food for local consumption and for export,’’ he added.

Masvingo already has the highest dam density in the country with more than five major dams but the bulk of them supply water exclusively to Lowveld sugar cane plantations.

The recent completion of the Government-owned Tokwe-Mukosi Dam has raised hopes that both communal and commercial farmers downstream can harness the dam’s water to grow other crops.

Zimbabwe Bio Energy, a private company with interests at Nuanetsi Ranch in Mwenezi, has in the past given signals of its intention to source funding for Runde-Tende Dam. The company is planning to build a $400 million ethanol plant at Nuanetsi and was pinning its hopes on Tokwe-Mukosi and Runde-Tende water to irrigate cane that would feed the plant.

Other major dams in Masvingo such as Mutirikwi, Manjirenji, Bangala and Muzhwi are specifically reserved for Lowveld cane plantations.

Government has been urged to repeal some archaic agreements enacted before independence that determine usage of the dams’ irrigation water.

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