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Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
ABOUT 25,000 households are set to benefit from the Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam through irrigation farming, a senior official has said. Masvingo Provincial Minister of State Shuvai Mahofa told Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa during his recent visit to the province that the dam project would help boost food production and provide opportunities to scores of people in the province.

“We’ve Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam as a major project here in Masvingo. At its completion the project will benefit at least 25,000 families in Chivi and Masvingo districts,” said Mahofa.

She said the dam was a strategic asset to the drought prone province in the food and nutrition sector. The project would also be of benefit to dozens of families who were displaced by floods from the dam basin in March last year.

Progress at the $155 million dam project has been stalled due to non-payment of the Italian contractor, Salini Impregillio, by the government.

The dam is 85 percent complete and has a carrying capacity of 1.8 million cubic metres.

About $43 million is needed to complete the remaining work.

Upon completion the dam project will turn vast tracts of land in Chivi and Masvingo Districts into a green belt.

Apart from irrigation operations, there would be a small hydroelectric power station with a capacity to produce six megawatts for Chivi South.

Minister Mahofa also said the provincial leadership was seized with assisting flood victims settled at the “arid” Chingwizi in Mwenezi.

She said plans were underway to move some of the families to Chiredzi’s Chiumburu farm where there are bigger plots.

The minister said 1,500 plots have since been pegged for the families with their relocation set to start soon. There are 2,750 families settled at Chingwizi.

“A local investor has offered to assist the government in transporting affected families to a new place. He’ll also drill boreholes and construct roads for them. Chingwizi isn’t a habitable place, it’s arid and only good for animals,” said Mahofa.

“While we appreciate that government has no money at the moment we’re appealing for compensation for the affected families to enable them to get back to their normal activities.”