By Maricho Reporter
IN an effort to cushion livestock in the southern parts of Gwanda District, Matabeleland South province, government has installed sand abstraction solarised pumps along at the Tuli Shashe river to channel water inland Zimbabwe.
This will see the creation of an 800km stretch greenbelt in an area which is perennially affected by severe droughts.
The situation has been made worse by the El Nino which has affected availability of water and pastures in Zimbabwe and it’s neighbouring countries.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Davis Marapira, who is on a countrywide state of livestock assessment programme, said the intervention at Tuli Shashe confluence will change the fortunes of the people in area which borders Botswana.
Cattle often migrate from Zimbabwe to Botswana in search of pastures as a result of the drought conditions
“This area suffers from severe droughts every year, making the creation of a greenbelt essential for our livestock,” said Marapira.
“The primary objective of the initiative is to channel water from the Tuli Shashe River to up to 100km inland Zimbabwe.
“This project will utilize solar energy to power the water systems, allowing for widespread irrigation of pastures and other crops for the people in this area,” he added.
The Tuli Shashe project is part of initiatives by government aimed at saving the over 2.8 million cattle which are at risk as a result of the drought gripping Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.
Government has also established a drought mitigation command center to coordinate the interventions which will track critical wards and establish the urgent needs in each of these areas.
