The government is throwing a massive pile of cash at two huge dam projects next year. They have earmarked four hundred million in ZiG currency to finish Lake Gwayi-Shangani and Kunzvi Dam, aiming to solve major water shortages in Bulawayo and Harare. Kunzvi Dam, currently sixty-five percent complete, gets about one hundred thirty million ZiG for its final push. The larger share, around two hundred seventy three million ZiG, is for Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which is over seventy two percent done. This follows a year where over one hundred one million US dollars was pumped into both sites on a presidential order for monthly funding.
Work at Kunzvi will focus on digging out the main dam basin, building homes for relocated families, and piling up the embankment. Over at Gwayi-Shangani, crews will be busy screening river sand, finishing excavation for the water intake, and fabricating the last sections of outlet pipe. They also need to install spillway forms, pour concrete for a mini hydro plant, and place more concrete on the main dam wall. These are the top priority projects for the coming year. The Gwayi-Shangani plan is especially big, involving a two hundred fifty two kilometer pipeline to Bulawayo, booster stations, a water treatment plant, and irrigation for ten thousand hectares. Kunzvi Dam will also supply water for irrigating five hundred hectares and support nearby growth points.
These projects are not new ideas. The Gwayi-Shangani system is a piece of the old Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, a concept dating back over a century. Kunzvi Dam was first slated for construction decades ago. Both finally got moving after 2018, representing a major effort to build long-stalled infrastructure for water security and rural development.
Work at Kunzvi will focus on digging out the main dam basin, building homes for relocated families, and piling up the embankment. Over at Gwayi-Shangani, crews will be busy screening river sand, finishing excavation for the water intake, and fabricating the last sections of outlet pipe. They also need to install spillway forms, pour concrete for a mini hydro plant, and place more concrete on the main dam wall. These are the top priority projects for the coming year. The Gwayi-Shangani plan is especially big, involving a two hundred fifty two kilometer pipeline to Bulawayo, booster stations, a water treatment plant, and irrigation for ten thousand hectares. Kunzvi Dam will also supply water for irrigating five hundred hectares and support nearby growth points.
These projects are not new ideas. The Gwayi-Shangani system is a piece of the old Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, a concept dating back over a century. Kunzvi Dam was first slated for construction decades ago. Both finally got moving after 2018, representing a major effort to build long-stalled infrastructure for water security and rural development.
