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Oliver Kazunga, Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has allocated $4,5 million towards the Gwayi-Shangani Dam project, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Environment, Water and Climate Minister Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said this while responding to questions in the Senate on what the Government was planning in implementing the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP).

She said due to the huge funding requirement of $1,72 billion, the project has been put into three phases.  The first phase is to build the Gwayi-Shangani dam and a $10 million mini hydro scheme on the same dam.

Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said the second and third phases are the construction of a pipeline from Gwayi-Shangani Dam to Cowdray Park suburb in Bulawayo and the construction of the pipeline from the Zambezi River to the dam.

“Currently, the first phase is underway, wholly funded by Government and the contractor will this year finish the foundation works following a budget allocation of $4,5 million by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development (Patrick Chinamasa),” she said.

Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said the Gwayi-Shangani Dam was one of the Government’s priority projects as it was important to Matabeleland region and the country.

She said prospective investors were being engaged to finance the full implementation of the project to completion.

“Funding constraints have seen limited progress being registered on the project, especially when given that it is capital intensive, but Government remains committed to see through the project,” she said.

The minister said Government through her ministry has a strategic plan in place with proposed dams covering cities and towns like Harare, Bulawayo, Chitungwiza and Bindura. “The designs for the proposed dams are already in place. The ministry hosted a water investment conference in 2015 where some of the priority projects were presented to potential investors in order to finance the implementation of such projects.

“Water supply projects for towns like Harare and Chitungwiza have already secured investors. Water supply for Bulawayo will be boosted once the Epping Forest project is completed at the beginning of the third quarter of 2017,” said Muchinguri-Kashiri.

— @okazunga