Chiwundura folk send SOS for dam resuscitation

COMMUNITIES in Chiwundura area have called on the Government to urgently repair and de-silt Mutorahuku Dam to resuscitate an irrigation project that once sustained over 200 households. The dam was constructed 46 years ago. Chairperson of the Mutorahuku Irrigation Scheme which is in Chiundura Ward 11, Mr Pascal Mudzingwa, told The Herald that the community was growing impatient as the plea to resuscitate the dam was made a long time ago, but to no avail.

“Our dam is heavily silted and each rainy season worsens the situation. There is an urgent need for dam scooping for the revival of our irrigation scheme which used to sustain over 200 households,” he said.

Mr Mudzingwa said canals have cracked and are leaking resulting in water loss.

“We could be doing well through selling of produce from the irrigation scheme, but we are failing because of siltation and cracked canals. Water which we should be harvesting is lost due to siltation and cracking of the canals,” he said.

The irrigation scheme has 14,6 hectares of land.

Zimbabwe National Water Authority (zinwa) director of engineering and hydrological services Engineer Taurai Maurukira said there was urgent need to rehabilitate the dam to make it viable for the Chiwundura community.

“We are currently de-silting dams in Gokwe and next is Chiwundura area. De-silting equipment will be directed to Chiwundura after we complete the same process in Sengwa constituency. We are also constructing two water weirs in Chiwundura,” he said.

Midlands has 17 dams used for communal irrigation.