Shire Valley irrigation project on course

Shire Valley Transformation Programme acting project coordinator Limbani Gomani says the water treatment plant set to supply water to about 48 000 people in Chikwawa District is at 95 percent completion. He gave the update on Saturday when Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Principal Secretary Erica Maganga visited the site to appreciate progress on the construction of the canal and the water treatment plant. “The temporary intake and conveyance construction is on track to finish this year to allow water reach the 105 hectares of Kambadwe Cooperative Farm by October this year,” said Gomani.

He said the water treatment plant will pump water from the main canal and supply it to communities, adding that once the construction is completed, it will be operated by the Southern Region Water Board. Said Gomani: “The project will not only improve access to water for irrigation but also clean water for consumption in the district. “The Kambambe Cooperative Farm is about to complete recruiting its farm manager and this has been scheduled for March.” Maganga said the ministry will address bottlenecks affecting the project, with a focus on timely payments to contractors and engineers to keep the works on schedule.

She said her visit also served as a preparation for the minister and officials from the World Bank who are expected to tour the project in March. Malawi Government started construction of the first 52 kilometres (km) of the 118km-long irrigation scheme in April 2020.