Makhovula dam benefits locals 12 years after construction

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Nqobile Tshili
A dam in Makhovula area in semi-arid Lupane District is transforming lives for the better, 12-years after its construction.

Constructed in 2004 in a wetland, the dam supports a 15-hectare irrigation scheme that brings food directly to 36 households.

Over 200 people could be benefiting from the irrigation scheme, given that a rural family has six people on average.

Villagers neglected Makhovula dam for a dozen years as they relied on donor-aid.  Today, they celebrate the resuscitation of the dam and the opening of the irrigation scheme as life savers.

Rosemary Ncube, 72, says it was time people in communal areas took matters into their own hands in improving their welfare.

She says although she can no longer manage to till the land, because of her advanced age, she will always encourage youths to participate in community development and self-empowerment projects.

“The irrigation field is there for all of us. I can’t work on the field myself but I’ve grandchildren and children who can do so.

If we join our hands together the food challenges we’re experiencing as a country at the moment can be a thing of the past,” said Ncube.

For close to a decade, the villagers had been staying away from their fields, depending instead on non-governmental organisations’ food aid and other basics.

This resulted in the dam becoming dilapidated.

They were shaken out of their slumber last year when the country started experiencing enhanced donor-fatigue.

To augment the irrigation scheme in boosting food security, the government recently introduced the food for work programme in Lupane district.

The programme for Matabeleland North, which is set to benefit at least 10,202 households, was launched at Makhovula Irrigation Scheme last Wednesday.

Other provinces launched their respective food for work programmes separately.

Littlebit Mlilo of Makhovula area welcomed the programme as a motivator for people to improve their community.

“The government programme has a double purpose; we work and we get food for our families while at the same time developing our communities through improving our infrastructure,” said Mlilo.

The traditional leadership are ecstatic by the resuscitation of the irrigation project and the launch of the food for work programme.

Chief Mabhikwa says some of the problems bedevilling communities are self-imposed as some villagers were too lazy to work.

“Lupane has good farming land but locals no longer want to work in the fields.

They were over relying on donors who were giving them food aid all these years.

However, the prevailing drought has also affected the donor organisations who can no longer afford to supply communities enough food.

The revival of this irrigation scheme should transform our communities. It should be used as a wakeup call for our people to start working for themselves,” he said.

Makhovula community had, for many years, been experiencing limited access to fresh water despite living in a swampy area.

They were happy when government constructed a dam in 2004.

Locals call it the miracle dam for bringing food into their homes as well as for the manner that it came into existence.

After its construction, Makhovula Dam remained dry – it could not hold water.

This caused panic among the villagers. A government construction team which worked on the dam project was equally baffled.

The team failed to understand how a dam constructed in a wetland could fail to hold water.

Chief Mabhikwa says the problem could have been caused by the failure by the government officials to consult the traditional leadership when they constructed the dam.

“There was a traditional ceremony that was conducted. We believe our ancestors were angry as they were not consulted before the dam was constructed.

So their anger could have resulted in the dam failing to hold water.

However, after conducting a traditional ceremony where a beast was killed the dam was filled with water to everyone’s surprise,” he said.

The dam is now feeding the irrigation scheme, 12 years after its construction. Villagers are growing a variety of crops to sustain their families.

Erratic rains and successive droughts induced by climate change are affecting rain-fed agriculture in most parts of the country.

Agricultural experts say farmers need to change attitudes in their farming as they can no longer rely on rainfall only.

“The climatic changes which are a result of global warming call for a new mind-set.

Farmers need to think outside the box. The prevailing weather conditions can only be overcome if farmers fully utilise every resource in their effort to improve food security.

One way of doing so is water harvesting and practising irrigation farming.

Not so many communities have embraced this way of farming but others have started appreciating its importance,” said an Agritex official who cannot be named.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Matabeleland North Cain Mathema was the guest of honour at the launch of the food for work programme at Makhovula irrigation scheme.

He urged communities to transform their lives through farming and hard work.

Minister Mathema said for communities to overcome the perennial droughts, they need to adopt irrigation projects supported by enhanced water harvesting strategies.

He says the future lies on communities exploring new ways of farming.

“What I want to see is people farming for commercial purposes.

There should be a paradigm shift in the way communities view their farming.

You have 15 hectares under irrigation and this is enough for your community to engage in serious farming.

Instead of running the irrigation scheme individually where someone owns a garden, you should employ a farm manager who will transform this field into a commercial farm.

If we do so we can produce enough for us, our neighbours and the country at large.

If we can produce enough it means we’re boosting our economy as well,” he said.

Minister Mathema said farmers in Matabeleland North should consider farming for the export market.

He says with commitment and hard work, farm produce from Makhovula village and elsewhere can eventually find its way on international market.

“We’re a millet producing province. Those who planted millet in the previous season received good crops.

I believe if our irrigation schemes start farming millet even for export they can do well. We can produce enough for us and for re-sell,” said Minister Mathema.

Makhovula irrigation scheme specialises in growing maize and is supported by the District Development Fund (DDF).

DDF Matabeleland North provincial coordinator Lawrence Ndebele says one of the country’s major challenges is its failure to utilise its resources.

He says most irrigation schemes in the province are lying idle as communities fail to utilise them.

“Water bodies are not utilised to their full capacity.

This dam was constructed between 2003 and 2004 but up to now there wasn’t much being done on it.

It is worrying this irrigation scheme has not been utilised since the dam’s construction.

I find it disturbing when irrigation schemes are not utilised,” said Ndebele.

A number of Zimbabweans countrywide require food aid as most areas failed to register a good harvest owing to poor rains.

The United Nations recently revealed that over 4 million people need food aid in the country due to the adverse effects of the El-Nino induced drought.

Ndebele said even those who are not classified under vulnerable groups also needed food aid assistance.

He said over 10,000 people registered for the relief food programme in Matabeleland North.

Ndebele said through the recently re-introduced food for work programme communities should emerge as the winners through lessons learnt from drought years.

“Some of the people will be working in irrigation fields.

This will result in an improved food security at family and village level.

The food for work programme should leave communities better than they were before the drought situation.

People will be working for 15 days a month so that they can be allocated 50kg bag of maize.

Some of these people will be working on the roads, clinics, schools and on other developmental projects,” he said.

Ndebele says the solution to the country’s food problems lay in communities.

He said communities should introspect as they march towards embracing water harvesting techniques and irrigation farming as the new farming methods.

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