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George Maponga in Masvingo

ZINWA has restored irrigation water supplies at Mkwasine Estates in Chiredzi, averting a disaster after more than 14 000 hectares of sugar cane faced the prospect of wilting because of a breakdown at Manjirenji Dam.

Cane farmers at Mkwasine and Nandi estates were fearing for the worst after going for over a week without water supplies as ZINWA engineers battled day and night to fix the problem at Manjirenji Dam.

The two estates exclusively depend on Manjirenji for irrigation water and a breakdown at the dam’s outlet valves threatened to decimate their cane crop which also had to grapple with very high daytime temperatures.

Water started flowing in the Mkwasine canal on Thursday morning after engineers successfully rectified the problem on Wednesday night having worked round the clock to address the challenge.

According to ZINWA spokesperson Mrs Marjorie Munyonga, the problem at Manjirenji was now a thing of the past.

She paid tribute to ZINWA engineers who tirelessly worked to resolve the problem which has threatened to derail the 2021/22 sugar cane cropping season.

Farmers feared for the worst after the Manjirenji breakdown with nearly 14 000ha of plant cane on the verge of wilting across Mkwasine and Nandi estates.

The latest breakdown at Manjirenji has accentuated calls for a fallback dam to be built at Makaze in the Lowveld to augment Manjirenji supplies.

Currently, Mkwasine and Nandi rely on Manjirenji which also impounds water from Siya Dam.