The ManicaPost
WITH the current rains being received across the country and beyond, local dams are filling up fast and that is good news to everyone as it guarantees access to water and food security, at least over the next year.
As of Monday, the national dam level average stood at 87. 9 percent.
Osborne Dam, which is the largest lake in Manicaland covering about 2 600 hectares of land, stood at 90.1 percent.
These statistics show that there is enough water in our dams – if correctly managed – to adequately sustain Manicaland’s population and end hunger and malnutrition.
For years, Zimbabwe, including Manicaland, has struggled with water supply problems. This is why our dams are so crucial in supporting small-holder agricultural irrigation, boosting food and agricultural production, as well as harnessing water for industrial and domestic use.
This is why the Government of Zimbabwe is prioritising the completion of key water bodies given their significance to the overall performance of the Zimbabwean economy.
In fact, 12 dam projects in Zimbabwe are set to receive a share of the $22 billion allocated by Government in the 2023 National Budget.
Government has also completed the construction of Muchekeranwa Dam which lies on the border of Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces, as well as Marovanyati Dam, which is in Manicaland.
The dams are also climate-proofing agriculture and reducing heavy reliance on rain-fed farming, which has always been a recipe for disaster during droughts.
Indeed, water scarcity has a huge impact on food production. Water is an indispensable ingredient to agricultural production and without water, farmers are not able to grow their crops and feed their animals. Water insecurity translates to food insecurity
According to the International Water Management Institute, agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of global water withdrawals. Producing one kilogramme of rice, for example, requires about 3500 litres of water, while one kilogramme of beef needs 15 000 litres of water. A cup of coffee needs about 140 litres of water to fully mature.
Dam construction therefore becomes even more important for Zimbabwe, especially when considering that the country is largely an agriculture-based economy.
According to official estimates, the agricultural sector contributes approximately 17 percent to Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product (GDP). Therefore, a functional agriculture sector can at least ensure that the local industry remains with a constant supply of raw materials, as well as ensuring internal food security.
With that in mind, the importance of irrigation cannot be overstated as it is key to increasing food production and improving resilience against weather variability.
In Manicaland, it is evident that the Osborne, Marovanyati and Muchekeranwa dams have improved small-scale irrigation schemes, food productivity, fishing activities, as well as easy access of water for domestic use.
For Marovanyati, the dam has the capacity to support the four irrigation schemes around it with a total of about 2 000 hectares. These include the Muguta, Chipudzana, St Alban’s, Nyashanu and Bhidhiri-Chiwenga schemes.
These and other irrigation schemesare increasing the diversity of food that can be produced, including dry season crops and micronutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, thereby eradicating malnutrition in the drier regions of the province and beyond.
