Zambia constructs largest dam for irrigation purposes
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Zambia’s Speech Analyst Mike Sichula with Special assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda
By Mike Sichula The Speech Analyst
Zambia’s largest Dam for agriculture irrigation purposes has officially been handed over to the Government of Zambia by a Chinese Contractor, Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company, nine months before schedule, construction works started in February, 2017. The Dam is situated in Miswa ward, Chisamba, Central province that has a population of 14,517 people.
The World Bank provided a loan of 28.3 million dollars towards the construction of the dam, which has a capacity of 61 million cubic meters water storage and reservoir for farming activities.
Close to 6,000 households are expected to benefit from the dam. Eleven Commercial Farmers have already subscribed to use the dam at a fee, money that will be channelled to the maintenance of the dam.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Chisamba, today, President EDGAR Chagwa Lungu, has targeted that Zambia should increase agriculture Land under irrigation from 2 percent to 20 percent by 2030.
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu at a dam in Central Province
And President Lungu, directed the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture to secure funds toward the irrigation scheme failure to which the dam will remain irrelevant.
At construction stage about 300 Locals were identified for compensation, out of which 230 Locals were compensated by the Contractor with decent housing while 70 are yet to be compensated.
During a briefing with President Lungu, agriculture Minister, Michael Katambo and Irrigation Development Support Project Coordinator, Dr. Barnabas Mulenga, provided conflicting statements on the compensation to affected Locals.
Dr. Mulenga told the Head of State that all compensation issues were completed but Mr. Katambo, disagreed saying there were 70 Locals yet to be compensated.
A dam in Central Province
It was at this point when President Lungu wondered why there were two different statements on compensation and demanded that he be given the correct version before he was misled.
Dr.. Mulenga clarified that some people demanding compensation after others were already compensated were those whose crops were affected and that was a minor issue but this has purported a Presidential directive that the compensation matter be resolved soon.
The Mwomboshi Dam with an embankment of 1.7 km long and height of 23 meters is the largest dam built for irrigation purposes in Zambia.
The Speech Analyst
Thursday 06.12.2018
