By Isaac Salima:
President Lazarus Chakwera Tuesday inspected construction sites of the government’s flagship Shire Valley Transformation Programme (SVTP) in Chikwawa District, where he questioned implementation delays.
The project started in 2020.
Principal Secretary for Irrigation Geoffrey Mamba assured the President that, by next year, the long-awaited canal would be functional.
“The good thing is that we have made progress and farmers should not as we are nearing completion. Waiting is always painful but, at the end of the day, they will smile and benefit from the project,” Mamba said.
Meanwhile, SVTP Coordinator Stanley Khaila has conceded that the project has missed its deadline.
He said this was due to various reasons.
“We were supposed to start the irrigation [work] before the end of the year but because of a change in construction work at Kapichira, where we are now part and parcel of the rehabilitation works, [this did not happen].
Now we are working on a temporary conveyance because a permanent one will take long.
“We will now get water direct from the Shire River and we are hopeful that water should start flowing to the first two farms around May next year,” Khaila said.
He also said there was a need for additional funds for the project, saying this was necessary as some structures were damaged by natural disasters.
“We have reported this to the ministries of Finance and Agriculture and they are working on it.
“However, this has not contributed to the delay but what I have earlier said. You may wish to know that some of our infrastructure was destroyed by cyclones. We also suffered shortage of fuel and cement at some point,” he said.
Mamba acknowledged the issue, saying the project would now require an additional $150 million.
“We are now moving into phase three of the project and we need more resources. You may recall that, at some time, cyclones damaged our intake. So, because of these changes and escalation of prices, we need to get more resources,” Mamba said.
Thirteen farmer cooperatives are expected to benefit from the project by engaging in irrigation farming.
Farmers under Kabadwe and Mwanaalirenji cooperatives will be the first beneficiaries when the project commences next year.
Chakwera, who has been on a tour of projects in the Shire Valley, yesterday started by inspecting construction works at Kandeu Community Day Secondary School in Chikwawa.
The President also visited Majete Wildlife Reserve, where, before proceeding, he set foot on Nkumaniza Community Day Secondary School.
He later commissioned Malawi Rural Electrification Programme phase nine site in Pende Village, Traditional Authority Kasisi, in Chikwawa District.
The President said there was a need for the country to walk the talk by enhancing electricity connectivity in the rural areas.
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