Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mthuli Ncube has praised the largest inland dam in Zimbabwe, Tugwi-Mukosi emphasizing that it comprises of many social, economic and agricultural projects which can boost Zimbabwe’s economic development.
The Tokwe Mukosi Dam is a concrete-face rock fill dam on the Tokwe river, just downstream of it’s confluence with the Mukosi river about 72 kilometers south of Masvingo.
Commenting on his twitter handle after visiting the dam Professor Mthuli Ncube said the dam was a gift for Zimbabwe because it is large and have a lot of activities that can contribute positively on transforming the Zimbabwean economy as well as benefiting the country on the current electricity deficit that is being experienced in some regions of the country.
“I visited Tugwi- Mukosi dam in Masvingo province, the dam has a massive capacity of 1.8 billion cubic meters of water for irrigation, fisheries, tourism facilities and hydro power generation and when all these projects are unleashed it will transform our country,” he said.
The Chief Economist added that Tugwi-Mukosi dam have a lot of islands that can be used for recreation activities insisting that the water capacity can also be used to boost agricultural, irrigation sector hence alleviating the economic growth of the Masvingo province and Zimbabwe at large.
“Tugwi-Mukosi has over 10 islands which can accommodate hotels, lodges and camping facilities hence all these developments, including irrigated agricultural activities, will contribute to the Gross Domestic Product of the province and the country at large,”
Nevertheless Tugwi- Mukosi is the country’s largest inland water body with a potential to irrigate over 25 000 hectares.
Meanwhile Zimbabwe is looking forward to enjoy a successive winter agricultural outlook this year due to the heavy rains that the country experienced this season which saw a lot of inland dams registering a 100% rise in terms of water levels, however this is a positive development in the agricultural sector from last season where the country experienced low rainfall which resulted to low water levels on most of the Zimbabwean dams.
