Friday, March 29, 2024

Mwomboshi dam to enhance irrigation agriculture-President Lungu

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President Edgar Lungu inspects the Mwomboshi Dam in Chisamba funded by World Bank $28.3 million shortly after Commissioning the dam
President Edgar Lungu inspects the Mwomboshi Dam in Chisamba funded by World Bank $28.3 million shortly after Commissioning the dam

President Edgar Lungu says Zambia has turned a new page in the advancement of irrigation agriculture through the construction of the 61 million cubic metres water storage capacity Mwomboshi Dam and reservoir in Chisamba district, Central Province.

President Lungu says the Mwomboshi Dam project is a stamp on the Patriotic Front government’s significant strides being made in infrastructure development aimed at fostering national development.

The President said construction of the dam is in fulfillment of the PF’s manifesto on increasing management and utilisation of water resources for agricultural development.

The President said this during the official handover of Mwomboshi dam which has been constructed at a total cost of 28 million United States dollars by a Chinese contractor Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company.

The Head of State noted that management and utilisation of water resources for agricultural development will be achieved by constructing at least one large scale dam per province such as Mwomboshi to irrigate massive hectares, establishing irrigation schemes and facilitating of private investment in dams and irrigation infrastructure among other actions.

He said his administration envisage to roll out bulk water irrigation infrastructure projects like Mwomboshi across the country.

And the President has challenged all contractors in the country to emulate the work culture and dedication which the Chinese contractor has exhibited by not only completing the construction of the dam ahead of schedule but also constructing the dam using world class standards of equality and efficiency.

Farmers comprising of smallholders and emergent farmers north of the dam as well as large scale commercial farmers have subscribed to paying for irrigation water from the facility to ensure long term sustainability and viability.

Approximately 4,000 hectares of land will be brought under irrigation with atleast 1,500 hectares under smallholder farmers.

Speaking earlier, Anhui Foreign Economic Construction project manager Jiatao Kan gave the scope of the works that have been done on the dam and stated that the project has been completed and handed over 9 months ahead of the schedule.

Mr. Kan told the President that his company observed safety measures during the period of construction and hailed the existing Zambia Chain relations which has seen the implementation of various projects including the dam.

And Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo pointed that construction of the dam and reservoir will help the province stop relying on rain fed agriculture.

Mr. Katambo said the dam will also work as an adaptation measure to the climate change which the country is currently faced with.

He added that the irrigation family will ensure food security not only for Central Province but the entire country.

The President earlier toured the dam and later award the contractor with plaques for completing the project ahead of the schedule.

The Mwomboshi dam and reservoir project was financed using a loan from the World Bank under the Irrigation Development and Support Project (ISDP).

25 COMMENTS

  1. The dam is funded by WB for $28million to irrigate 4,000 hectares…but ask Lazy Lungu how much he spent on Private jet for himself….some educated fooool up there is showing let’s roll without shame!!

    • And you Sir! Are you not one of the educated foools we have around. If you orient your brain in such a way that the only thing you see in everything is negativity, then what are you?

    • Lazy bum illiterate TONGA hooligan bully tribal son of a tribal polygamist father who never taught him toilet training pooping in public HAGAIN needing cynical tribalist tattoo-clad MUTINTA HICHILEMA, tribal BoSpata and CHILDISH MENTAL to change his diaper in public HAGAIN! I am glad UPND TRIBAL H-OPPOSITION H-ORGANISATION is UNELECTABLE.

    • @Jay Jay…..Hahaha you ve made my day!!!.

      The educated fool is saying lets “Roll”…..Mr Mumba is an embarrassment!!!

  2. Well done! That captures the slogan of putting more money in people’s pocket. Chisamba and surrounding villages will be growing produce, rearing healthy animals and water for domestic use throughout the year. I’m feeling jealous!

  3. We don’t say UPND is a TRIBAL H-organisation for nothing. This would be supported by Larry Mweetwa if only the president were TONGA! This is the reason why UNDER FIVE will NEVER ever be a president in Zambia. We know whta he thinks through his CLAN who post negatives all the time every time.

  4. Sad,why use chinese, so the zambia defence wings have to engineers who have the skills to construct a mire dam. Honestly speaking something is wrong with our mindset, u hav the power and every day u complaining of lucky of skills and yet when the opportunity of paper skills into practical project u give chinese.KK was the real man.

  5. Is everything , dams even toilets , done only with loans ????

    Can’t PF do anything without borrowed money ???

    WTF…..??

    • @ Spaka,
      You are irrelevant together with your HH. Probably you are HH disguised Jay Jay. Imagine spending all you energies unnecessarily on criticizing development that benefit the poor and communities and yet you think you can win their vote, bullsh!t! This negative tendency has completely made UPND very irrelevant in our political dispensation.

  6. When we say anyone can build with borrowed money the kaponya rats don’t understand….they think only borrowing is the only solution….or things can only be done through borrowing…

    The day lungu and pf will inogurate a project funded solely by GRZ will be the day I will dance dunnuna forward….

    • @ Spaka,
      And when Government streamlines its operations and take on tax reforms, you still oppose, open your stinky mouths like lost creatures.

  7. @spaka, you and I both
    I share your sentiments
    it’s a shame that there’s nothing that’s totally Zambian. it’s like Zambian has no capacity to do anything, come up with an idea, fund it and see it through
    no pride at all…utumeno ka mambala

  8. The Dam is a good project.. the question now is how many Zambian engineers benefited from the excersise? Inclusive of university students? This will need to be maintained at a cost and is that going to benefit our local home grown engineers?
    It would be great to hear more if that’s not too much to ask from L/T..

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