Nyakomba rehabilitation takes shape
severe weather vagaries.
The move to expand scheme and rehabilitate broken down THE dream to rejuvenate operirrigation infrastructure came ations at Nyakomba Irrigation after President Mugabe in 2015 Scheme in Nyanga has taken a met JICA president, Professor huge leap as the Japanese engiAkehiko Tanaka and discussed neers and contractors – who technical co-operation towards since 2015 have been working on poverty reduction. feasibility studies and designs – “They (Japanese engineers and have moved on site to begin the contractors) are on site, which rehabilitation of aging existing means they have brought their infrastructure and expansion of construction equipment on site. Block A. They will start with the rehabili
Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme, tation of Block C as well as estabone of the most critical schemes in lishing of new pump-house for the country, which encompasses Block D, which was affected by Blocks B, C and D that measure floods in 2006. up to 430 hectares – was estab“The pump-house will be relolished with the assistance from cated to a safe site within the Japan between 1997 and 2000. vicinity of the existing one and The Manica Post understands the the process will include the conengineers are assessing the wet struction of flood return walls for situation with a view to begin Blocks D and C,” said a source work, as construction is affected privy to the development. by rain. In 2018 they will be working on
The rehabilitation of Nyakomba Blocks A and B. Irrigation Scheme is funded to the “The level of water in tune of $18 million by the JapaNyakomba River is still low, posnese Government, through the sibly due to the low rains received Japan International Co-operation last season and we are optimistic Agency (JICA) and will drastically that this season we might be able reduce adverse impact of climate to survive flooding in that area as change and improve household this may affect construction work. food security among impovFarmers are busy in the fields, erished smallholder farmers in including in Block A (rain-fed) Nyanga North constituency. as construction is not affecting
JICA representative, Mr Shutheir operations,” said the source. mon Yoshiara, said expansion Japan has so far injected nearly works on the scheme would $52m in Phase 1 of Nyakomba stretch from November 2016 to Irrigation Scheme.
March 2019. However, the facility was dam
The public private partnership aged by Cyclone Eline in 2000 between Government and JICA and since then the scheme, subis key in enhancing sustainable divided into 0.8ha per plot holder, agriculture and development, has been operating below capacgiven that Zimbabwe’sity.agriculture had remained heavily reliant on rains and only to suffer from e major challenges confronting it include constantly breaking down of old pumps and vandalised canals. The pump station along Nyakomba River requires site change as it is prone to vandalism from floods.
Irrigation farmers also cited high input costs, particularly of seed, fertiliser and chemicals as an acute problem and some are subleasing their plots to raise money for inputs, an indication of the need for input support schemes to enable the farmers to make maximum use of the irrigable land.
Water logging and leaching of nutrients were also some problems at the scheme.
The Phase 2 expansion programme, which includes construction of pumping facilities, pipelines, irrigation canals, farm pond, drainage, replacement and repairing of existing pumping facilities and flood protection structures pumping station for Block B, C and D which was damaged by floods in 2000, is expected to stretch for 28 months.
It will encompass new irrigation infrastructure for an additional 146ha for A1 for Block A, which had stalled for years due to financial limitations.
Block A will benefit 230 farmers, bringing the total number of small holder beneficiaries to 861.
The irrigation expansion will stabilise the supply of water for all-year round agricultural crop production.
Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Yoshi Hiraish, who toured the scheme in 2015, said the expansion programme was a milestone development as water pumps and other irrigation infrastructure would be fully rehabilitated.