Anthony Muzondo
After several months of wrangling and finger-pointing, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) is now releasing water to the downstream of Matezva Dam in Bikita after prominent human rights lawyer Harrison Nkomo intervened and paid the US$967 abstraction fee demanded by authorities.
EnviroPress recently reported about the plight of affected communities after Zinwa stopped releasing water as it was now reserving it for lithium miner Bikita Minerals and elite private school Riverton Academy (read full story here)
Nkomo (pictured), who is based in Harare, has his roots in the area where he went to primary and secondary school.
Bikita Residents Ratepayers Association (BIRRA) spokesperson Luckyson Mukomondera said Nkomo’s intervention had come at a critical time.
“We appreciate his assistance because crops were already wilting since there was no longer water with which to irrigate them,” said Mukomondera.
He criticised Zinwa for shifting goal posts and for double speak as the water authority had always claimed that the stoppage of water supplies to the downstream was within its water distribution regime.
“It’s surprising because we had never heard about abstraction fees before, and we had never paid any money before. Any changes were supposed to be properly communicated,” Mukomondera said.
Bikita District Ward 12 Councillor Brighton Mushekwa said local authorities needed government support to improve alternative water supplies for communities that could not afford abstraction fees stipulated by such relevant laws as the Water Act and Zinwa Act.
“We sincerely appreciate Mr. Nkomo’s sense of community and we also call upon the government to help local authorities deliver affordable alternatives,” said Mushekwa.
When reached for comment, Advocate Nkomo said he felt inclined to intervene as he was emotionally invested in the communities and its people.
“It’s my home; I grew up and went to school there. I relate fully to the circumstances of the people there and the payment I made was the least I could do for the community,” said Nkomo.
Zinwa Corporate Communications and Marketing Executive Marjorie Munyonga said unlike in the past, the prevailing drought had made it unsustainable for Zinwa to release water to downstream communities without water abstraction agreements.
“Water in Zinwa dams such as Matezva Dam is normally reserved for use mainly by users who enter into water abstraction agreements with Zinwa for systematic, sustainable and coordinated utilisation of the resource.
“In the past, Zinwa would release excess water from Matezva Dam, which benefitted downstream communities. These releases are not possible this time around due to the El Nino induced drought.
“However, downstream communities are expected to benefit from the on-going Presidential Rural Development Programme headed by Zinwa which involves the drilling of boreholes in each village and setting up of ward drought mitigation centres to pillow them from the effects of the drought,” Munyonga said.
