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Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri

Business Reporter
THE National Water Project has received a $10 million grant from the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund which will support the preparation of the country’s National Water Resources Master Plan.

This is the first phase of a planned $20 million project that Zimref, Government and World Bank managed trust fund will support.

Government will also receive complimentary technical assistance grant from the Water and Sanitation Programme.

The water project aims to improve access and efficiency in water services in selected growth centres.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa and World Bank country director Mr Guang Chen signed the grant last week while Water, Environment and Climate Change Minister Oppah Muchinguri witnessed the event.

The grant was signed on the sidelines of the launch Bank’s first Zimbabwe Economic Update for 2015 last week.

The Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change will implement the water project which will see the rehabilitation of water systems in Lupane, Madziwa, Zimunya, Gutu, Nembudziya, Guruve and Mataga.

“An estimated 52 000 Zimbabweans will benefit from the rehabilitation and expansion of the water systems in these seven small towns while the project will help us to mitigate the effects of climate change through a more coordinated and strategic management of our extensive water resources,” said Zinwa chief executive officer Mr Jephter Sakupwanya.

The grant will also support the preparation of National Water Resources Master Plan for Zimbabwe, the commercialisation of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority and the establishment of a Water Supply Sanitation regulator.

The need for a regulator came as Government realised that ZINWA was acting as a both a regulator and competitor to some players in the water sector.