Dande Dam to transform Mbire district
Cde Njanji
FOR decades, the people of Mbire district in Mashonaland Central province have endured drought and extremely high temperatures. Some of the areas under Mbire district are Guruve, Kanyemba and Mushumbi Pools.
These fall under agro-ecological region 5, which is traditionally characterised by low rainfall and food shortages.
However, the Second Republic is stepping up efforts to resolve challenges faced by the people of Mbire district through the construction of Dande Dam.
Located in the Kachuta area of Guruve, Dande Dam is among the projects in the province being given top priority by the Second Republic.
Upon completion, the dam, which will have a capacity of 160 million cubic metres, will be the largest inland water body in Mashonaland Central.
The authorities are targeting to put over 4 000 hectares of land under irrigation to address perennial drought challenges that stalk the district.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland Central Captain (Retired) Christopher Magomo said he wants the project to be swiftly completed.
“Dande Dam is one of the signature projects in the province. Our desire is to have the President come here to commission the dam upon its completion.
“Due to disruptions inflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic, there were some intermittent delays that affected construction. However, I recently met the engineers and they revealed that the dam is at about 33 percent in terms of completion.
“Our aim is to ensure that the project is completed in 2025. We are in constant communication with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development to make sure the project progresses smoothly.”
He said once construction of the dam is complete, the Dande area will never be the same.
“The dam will provide water to surrounding communities.
“In addition to water for irrigation, it will also supply water for households and local industries.
Furthermore, we have plans to set up fisheries and tourism projects around the dam.
“The impact will not be on humans alone but also wildlife in the area as the dam is envisioned to bring relief to wildlife in the Dande South Safari area, where the animals have been depending on Hangwa River, which does not supply water during dry seasons.”
An entrepreneur from
Dande, Mr Charles Mtukudzi, said once abundant water is available, there is potential to set up sugarcane plantations.
“We have large tracts of land stretching from the
Sangojena area, and with the irrigation facilities being unlocked by the dam, we envision sugarcane plantations that will transform the economic prospects of our area. The climatic conditions here are similar to those in Chiredzi,” he said.