DDF needs $30 million to resume suspended projects

THE District Development Fund (DDF) requires close to $30 million to resume capital projects suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak and rehabilitate water infrastructure especially for irrigation and health facilities across Matabeleland North.

DDF projects include drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes, dams and irrigation facilities, construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.

DDF provincial coordinator Mr Lawrence Ndebele said a total of $21 million is needed to construct Somgolo Bridge in Lupane, SiwilaSihazela road in Tsholotsho, Upper Mbembesi Bridge in Bubi and Binga airstrip.

A total of $111 000 is needed to rehabilitate airfields in Binga, Hwange and Tsholotsho while $1 537 000 is needed to drill and rehabilitate 116 boreholes across the province.

DDF needs about $4 450 000 for small scale irrigation facilities in Bubi, Hwange and Nkayi.

The total approved budget for the projects is $27 998 000, said Mr Ndebele.

DDF depends on budgetary allocations from Government and partners such as Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

Mr Ndebele said Covid-19, fuel shortages, escalating prices of equipment and materials and constant breakdown of machinery had incapacitated DDF to carry on with projects.

“The province is currently engaged in road maintenance which will see all major roads under DDF brought to trafficability through both motorised and towed grading. This will be done in all districts across the province. The projects include boreholes drilling and rehabilitation of dams, bridge construction, airfield rehabilitation, and parallel to this will be implementation of all PSIP projects.

“The onset of the Covid-19 resulted in suspension of major capital projects. A few selected projects have now resumed with strict Covid-19 protocols being followed. The challenges we are facing include spares shortages to repair boreholes across the province while price escalations are also negatively affecting approved budgets which have become inadequate to see the project to completion,” said Mr Ndebele.

DDF’s Covid-19 projects include drilling boreholes at 5 Miles Hwange District Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane, Siapuzuba in Binga, Nesigwe in Nkayi, Nyamandlovu Hospital in Umguza, Tsholotsho District Hospital and DDF Training Centre in Tsholotsho as well as ORAP Training Centre in Bubi.

Small scale irrigation rehabilitation work which needs $4 450 000 is earmarked for the nonfunctional Glenmore irrigation in Bubi which needs drilling and installation of two boreholes, and replacement of irrigation equipment, another nonfunctional Sivalo irrigation in Nkayi which needs installation of sand abstraction points, mainlines, drilling and installation of three boreholes, rehabilitation of canals and fencing while there is need for construction of storerooms at Makwa irrigation in Hwange.

DDF also targets to rehabilitate Gariya Dam in Tsholotsho.

Mr Ndebele bemoaned obsolete equipment at the state entity, saying DDF now relies on hired machinery, with contractors not willing to do projects on remote roads.

He said this compromises DDF efforts to service communities. — @ncubeleon.