COUNTDOWN TO END OF WATER WOES
THE deafening groaning sound of trudging heavy machinery and continuous plumes from a mini sandstorm greats visitors from a distance upon approaching the bald patch buried deep in the Nyaguwe area in Mashonaland East.
The area is being cleared for the construction of Kunzvi Dam.
Huge trenches have been dug and a dam wall is being constructed.
Located 67 kilometres northeast of Harare, the dam sits at the confluence of Nora and Nyaguwe rivers.
Construction works are being carried out by Chinese contractor China Nanchang Engineering.
The US$109 million water reservoir will not only become a majestic spectacle for the village, but will bring an end to Harare and Chitungwiza’s persistent water woes.
Once complete, the dam will deliver 158 million cubic litres of water daily for domestic, agricultural and industrial use.
Zinwa spokesperson Mrs Marjorie Munyonga believes the water from Kunzvi, complemented by already existing water sources, “will totally solve our problems”.
Harare’s eastern suburbs like Mabvuku, Tafara, Highlands, Chisipite, Ruwa and Zimre Park have gone for years without water supply due to low pumping capacity from Morton Jaffray Water Works.
In some areas, water supply is erratic and rarely exceeds three days per week.
The situation was made worse after Harare City Council (HCC) scaled down operations at Prince Edward Water Treatment Plant after its sources — Harava and
Seke dams — dried up.
Water treatment days were reduced from seven to three, with at least 60 million litres being produced on each production day.
“The reduction follows depletion of raw water resources at Seke Dam, which is now empty, and Harava Dam, now operating at 35,9 percent capacity. The water at Harava can only last six weeks and production will be reviewed when it rains,” revealed Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme.
Harare, which largely relies on Lake Chivero, has had to spend a fortune to treat contaminated water.
The council imports numerous chemicals needed to make drinking water safe from South Africa since most local companies that used to manufacture the products either shut down or are incapacitated.
However, the Kunzvi Dam project is more upstream and, therefore, expected to save on water treatment costs.
The dam was mooted two decades ago, but has only come to life under the Second Republic.
“When we got here in September, we did an original ground level (OGL) survey to estimate the size of the dam, establish how much ground we should strip and other essentials for foundation preparation,” said Taurai Sande, a surveyor with the contractor.
“We are now gathering material for backfilling and preparation of the chimney drain to ensure the dam does not get oversaturated in future and to avert bursting.”
According to the OGL survey, the dam wall will be 46 metres tall and at least 2,6 km in length, while the spillway section will be more than 100 metres long.
The contractor revealed that they are on course to complete the construction aspect of the project within the targeted 39 months.
“If the last rainy season is anything to go by, upon completion, it will take only a season for the dam to fill to capacity,” said Mr Sande.
Discomfort
Contractors are, however, facing challenges from a few villagers that are denying them access to their yards.
“Some of our surveying processes need us to invade part of their spaces; some are cooperative, they allow us to do our job, but others said they need formal communication first,” he added.
According to preliminary surveys, more than 100 households in Nyaguwe are set to be relocated.
Unsurprisingly, this has left some residents uneasy.
Francisca Ruwenga has over the years spent a fortune to construct a modern family home with help from her family.
In fact, the structures in her yard can easily fit in any medium- or low-density suburb in any town or city.
Unfortunately, she is one of the many villagers who will be relocated.
Visibly deep in thought, she sits next to the fire, her eyes gazing into the distance.
“As you can see, I am old and cannot work anymore. Knowing that I have to leave my home has given me sleepless nights. My worry is on compensation,” said Mrs Ruwenga, as she visibly fought back tears.
She initially was reluctant to engage The Sunday Mail Society over the matter.
“Are they going to build houses for us because so far nothing much has been said about compensation? I am a widow and in this economy, I cannot burden my children by asking them to build a new home for me again.
“We also need farming space, which is our main source of income. Also, I buried my husband here so it will be culturally wrong for me to abandon his grave just like that.”
At another homestead sits an elderly couple, Aegidius and Febbie Chikwaka.
The couple had 12 children, 10 of them died and were buried within the family compound.
“A dam is a welcome development for everyone because it comes to transform lives, but having to relocate, especially at this age, is heart-breaking . . . this is a place we have called home for decades,” said Mrs Chikwaka.
Her husband weighed in.
“I am not ready to move, I buried my parents and children here and I cannot leave just like that. Culturally, it is not right! The Government needs to do something, at least exhumation, because we need to constantly visit these graves and sometimes conduct rituals.”
Chikwaka, just like many villagers in the area, argues that abandoning the graves attracts curses.
Exhumation, he said, was a better option. Fellow villager Masimba Muteyo said: “Government needs to tackle the relocation issue in a manner that does not mentally affect citizens.”
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is expected to oversee the relocation and compensation issues.
Some of the paperwork has already been submitted and the compensation is being worked on.
“Consultations on the nature of compensation and the figures involved are still ongoing,” said Ministry of Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister Marian Chombo.
Zinwa resident engineer Davison Madondo recently convened a formal meeting with chiefs to discuss issues of relocation.
He said while the actual numbers of affected families are yet to be ascertained, the relocation modalities are already being put in place.
“High flood surveys are still ongoing so that we are able to come up with a conclusive figure of those who will relocate,” said Engineer Madondo.
But, long-term benefits of projects of this magnitude heavily outweigh the “inconveniences”.
Villagers in the Bare area of Chiweshe can testify after the successful completion of a weir that has put to an end water chal
lenges that were being experienced by both humans and livestock.
The Bare community started constructing their dam in 2019 after receiving cement and other necessary support from the Government.
It is an almost similar case in Marondera East.
The recently commissioned multi-million dollar Muchekeranwa (former Causeway Dam) is expected to be part of water supply solutions in the area and to Harare’s eastern suburbs and the dormitory town of Ruwa.
Presently, Marondera is getting water from Rufaro and Wenimbi dams that have been struggling to meet demand.
The Government has prioritised dam construction and drilling of boreholes to improve access to potable water and for irrigation purposes.