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Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter

The US$109 million Kunzvi Dam in Goromonzi district is now taking shape as enumeration of families for relocation started in earnest yesterday while excavation of the dam foundation on the left bank has now reached an advanced stage with completed project works now standing at eight percent.

Officials from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works were yesterday on the ground identifying families affected upstream by the project.

The US$109 million project, planned since the 1990s to augment Harare water supplies and provide a direct feed into the northern and eastern suburbs is now an active project following an award of the tender to China’s Nancheng Engineering last year as the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa walks its talk to turn the country into an upper middle income economy by 2030 in line with the National Development Strategy1 (NDS1).

China has been instrumental in funding and constructing Zimbabwe’s infrastructural projects in energy, telecommunication and transport, chief among them the expansion of Robert Gabriel International Airport and new Parliament Building in Mount Hampden.

The project is poised to transform lives of local communities together with Harare, Chitungwiza and surrounding areas through provision of water.

Heavy machinery involving excavators and tippers were on site yesterday carrying out work on the dam foundation. 

Zinwa officials who are superintending the project had moved in the communities together with officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works for the process to enumerate affected families.

While Zinwa is the project manager, it is the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works charged with the process of relocating families.

In an interview, Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager, Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said the process was going on well as it now stood at eight percent complete.

She said work currently underway at the dam site include the construction of site roads, site establishment, excavation of the main dam and main dam embankment placing.

A traditional ceremony to mark the commencement of the project was held in December 2021 and was presided over by Chiefs Chikwaka, Rusike and Mangwende, she said.

“Compilation of the households affected by the construction of the dam is also in progress with enumeration of households on the left bank which the Goromonzi side having commenced today, and expected to be complete within seven calendar days. The enumeration of households on the right bank, which is the Murehwa side is expected to start on Friday, February 25, 2022 and will also take seven days to complete,” she said.

The number of families to be affected is yet to be established but those to be moved include persons residing in construction zones and those though away from construction zone, could be affected by throwbacks of the dam that occurs at the spillway crest level.

Nanchang executive chairman, Mr Liangming Jin said he remained optimistic that the work would be completed within the agreed period of 39 months.

With contractor on site, local workers being recruited from Goromonzi and Murehwa, the mega project is headed to be a huge relief for many lives.

Kunzvi Dam is situated on the confluence of the Nora and Nyagui rivers in Goromonzi and the contract includes the dam, treatment works and the pipeline. 

Commencement of the works at the site put an end to a two decade wait of Kunzvi Dam project which had failed to take off under the previous political dispensation.

Prior to work on Kunzvi Dam, the contractor has built Muchekeranwa Dam in Mashonaland East province, which was commissioned by President Mnangagwa last year.

Nancheng is also working on Sengwa Dam in Mount Darwin and Silverstroom in Centenary both in Mashonaland Central province and has completed the pipeline linking Mtshabezi and Umzingwane dams.