Eswatini Financial Times

Ministry needs to fast-track constructi­on of dams

MINISTER of Agricultur­e Mandla Tshawuka says at the ministeria­l level, they need to fast-track the constructi­on of small and medium-sized dams.

The reason is that the farming systems are currently still at 80 per cent dry land.

According to the Minister, climate change has made rains less reliable, therefore their budget expectatio­n is that it ought to provide targeted financing to commercial­ize agricultur­al practices.

“The budget should also provide empowermen­t programmes for the youth and get them out of the forest where they are farming illegal crops at high personal risk,” he said.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the developmen­t of dam projects in Eswatini as a way to address these challenges and provide a reliable source of water for agricultur­al, industrial, and domestic use.

These include the Mpakeni dam constructi­on, a project spearheade­d by the Eswatini Water and Agricultur­al Developmen­t Enterprise (EWADE).

The project funded by the African Developmen­t Bank (AfDB) is worth E3.5 billion and is yet to take off.

On August 11, 2023, His Majesty King Mswati III officially launched the constructi­on of the dam during a sod-cutting ceremony that was held at Mpakeni, under Sigwe Inkhundla. It is part of the first component (Phase 1) of the Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma Water Augmentati­on Project that will create jobs for 10,000 people and benefit 100,000 Emaswati.

In March 2023, the government­s of Eswatini and South Africa revealed their plan to build more dams in the Komati River Basin for irrigation purposes.

Eswatini and South Africa signed a treaty in 1992 which is a blueprint for both countries to use in the developmen­t of the Komati River basin and is run through line ministries responsibl­e for water in both countries which form the Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA).

Through the treaty, the basin forms Maguga Dam in Eswatini, which provides 20MW of hydroelect­ricity.

The dam, which is also used for irrigation, is the biggest public works project ever in Eswatini.