Source: Treasury releases additional US$1m for Kunzvi–Harare pipeline – herald
Precious Manomano
Herald Reporter
TREASURY has released an additional US$1 million to continue the construction of the Kunzvi-Harare water pipeline, a key component of the Harare East Water Augmentation Project.
The project has also seen progress on resettlement, with 144 houses built for families affected by the dam and ready for relocation.
Cumulative disbursements so far are US$4 187 102.80.
The 48-kilometre pipeline will channel raw water from Kunzvi to a treatment plant to be developed at Donnybrook in eastern Harare.
Once operational, the pipeline is expected to convey up to 240 megalitres of water daily, a major contribution towards reducing Harare’s long-standing water deficit.
Present daily supplies average 400 megalitres against a demand of roughly 800 megalitres, implying that the pipeline’s capacity will significantly narrow the shortfall and provide a new source of clean water outside the heavily polluted Manyame catchment.
ZINWA’s resident engineer for the project, Johanne Mwase, said they have used the recently released funds to advance pipeline works.
He reported that 3km of pipeline construction has been completed by the new funds and pipes have also been procured for the next 3km.
“We have received US$1 million this year from the Treasury to continue with our operations. We have procured pipes for the next 3km, so at the moment we are at 9 percent completion.
“We were at 2,5 km before we received these funds. Per month, we will be laying 1km. About 5km of the pipeline route has been cleared and set out for excavation and pipe delivery on site,” said Eng Mwase.
He said pipeline progress had been hampered earlier by seasonal conditions that made some sections swampy and unstable, forcing temporary halts to construction.
With the drier season approaching and the new funds in place, he said steady monthly progress is expected.
The construction of Kunzvi Dam, which supplies the pipeline, continues to record steady gains. The dam structure is now about 70 percent complete and has already begun impounding water.
Located on the Nyagui River on the border of Murehwa and Goromonzi districts in Mashonaland East Province, the dam will serve multiple purposes, including irrigation for at least 500 hectares of surrounding farmland, domestic water supply to growth points and business centres in the vicinity, and supplementary water supply to Harare’s eastern suburbs.
ZINWA’s corporate communications and marketing manager, Mrs Marjorie Munyonga, provided detailed progress figures on earthworks and structural components of the dam.
“Ongoing activities at the dam include core placement on the left bank, where 752 460 cubic metres of core material have since been placed.
“Fill placement is also underway, and a cumulative 671 700 cubic metres of fill material has been placed to date. Also in progress is the placement of riprap with 30 565 cubic metres having already been placed,” she said.
Mrs Munyonga added that riverbed works and intake tower construction are advancing.
“On the riverbed, fill placement is in progress with 315 180 cubic metres already placed, while 257 770 cubic metres of core material has also been placed on the riverbed.
“Current activities also include work on the intake tower, where steel fixing and concrete placement are being done. A cumulative 837 cubic metres of concrete have been placed to date. Excavations are being carried out on the spillway, with 22 690 cubic metres already excavated. On the right bank, 80 050 cubic metres of core material, 36 355 cubic metres of sand and 87 740 cubic metres of fill material have been placed to date,” said Mrs Munyonga.
Resettlement and social mitigation measures are underway to address impacts on households displaced by the dam.
Mrs Munyonga reported that 144 houses have been constructed on the Murehwa side and a further 24 on the Goromonzi side, with families due to be moved as part of the project’s compensation and relocation programme.
The pipeline and dam works are being implemented by local contractor, Redan Bulk, under a US$52 million contract awarded by ZINWA.
Officials say the projects will not only boost water security, but also stimulate local economic activity through construction jobs, increased irrigation potential and downstream value chains such as aquaculture and small-scale irrigation farming.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Professor Obert Jiri highlighted the economic vision underpinning modern dam projects, describing them as multi-purpose developments.
“The Kunzvi Dam project is now almost complete. The dam has now started impounding water, which means that all the people in the vicinity of the dam are now at risk of flooding,” he said.
“As we continue building dams, we have a dam as an economic concept that we are now following. All the dam projects now follow this concept, where a dam is not the project, but it must create an economy where we include fish in the dam, hydropower, because where there is water, we can easily put hydropower there.
“We also must include irrigation, as well as a water reticulation system for the community,” said Prof Jiri.
The Kunzvi-Harare pipeline is therefore seen as a strategic investment that will address immediate urban water shortfalls while delivering broader rural development opportunities.
Construction of the dam formally began in 2021 and has progressed steadily since, with the dam wall nearing completion and pipeline works advancing following the recent US$1 million disbursement. Officials remain optimistic that with continued funding and favourable weather, the combined projects will deliver tangible benefits to households, farmers and businesses in the region.
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