BULAWAYO - The dry spell that hit parts of the country in February might have been avoided if water from the Zambezi River had been used for irrigation purposes. (Pictured: If used for irrigation projects, the Zambezi River would provide water for drought-prone areas such as Bin
Binga district administrator Juma Dube said the crop situation in the district was poor as most of the crops were heavily affected by the persistent dry spell, despite the fact that the government provided farming inputs.I think if we fully utilized water from the nearby Zambezi River we would not be talking about drought.
There is a big potential for food self-sufficiency in the district, but there is no initiative. We can create a greenbelt and ensure we grow crops all year round and in the process make drought a thing of the past. We need to encourage ourfunding partners and the government to consider the idea of establishing a giant irrigation scheme where water will be drawn from the Zambezi River, he said.
He added that the few irrigation schemes such as Lungwala, Siabuwa, Bulawayo Kraal that drew water from various dams were not fully functional and needed rehabilitation while Mlibizi Irrigation scheme was being rehabilitated by Zambezi River Authority. He urged the Government and some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to continue giving food aid to the communities in the district that has an estimated population of 60 000 people.
The districts food situation is not pleasing at all. We are coming out of a drought where our people were living on food handouts and just when we thought we were going to harvest something this season, we find ourselves in yet another year of drought, he noted.
Post published in: News