Kunzvi Dam Nears Completion in Final Phase

By Itai Mazire

Kunzvi Dam construction is rapidly advancing, with the project currently at an impressive 67 percent completion, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has revealed.

Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing, Mrs. Marjorie Munyonga, said the project is on course to impound water in the forthcoming rainy season.

“Ongoing works at the dam site include the placing of core and fill material, hauling of sand and blasted stones, as well as steel fixing on the outlet works.

“A cumulative total of 28,390 cubic metres of riprap has been placed on the left bank together with a cumulative 635,620 cubic metres of fill material.

“Also in progress on the left bank is chimney sand placement, where a total of 96.5 cubic metres of sand has since been placed.

“On the riverbed section, fill placement is also underway, with a total of 10,380 cubic metres having been placed this week, bringing the cumulative total of fill placed on the riverbed to 131,720 cubic metres.

“This week, 6,200 cubic metres of core material was placed on the riverbed, bringing the total tally of core material placed on the riverbed to 191,560 cubic metres,” said Mrs. Munyonga.

Once completed, the project is expected to help ease water challenges in Harare by providing water for the capital’s eastern suburbs.

Currently on site is the construction of a 48-kilometre pipeline, which will channel raw water from Kunzvi to a treatment plant set to be developed at Donnybrook in eastern Harare. Once complete, it will convey up to 240 megalitres of water daily, significantly easing the capital’s deficit, with current daily supplies averaging 400 megalitres against a demand of about 800 megalitres.

The pipeline is a central component of the Harare East Water Augmentation Project, which had stalled for years largely due to financial constraints. It is being implemented by local contractor Redan Bulk under a USD 52 million tender awarded by ZINWA.

Mrs. Munyonga said preliminary indications on the ground show that the project will be completed by year-end.

“On the right bank, backfilling of the D-Tunnel is in progress, and 2,930 cubic metres of backfill material has been placed. Steel fixing is also being done on the intake tower, where formwork placing is underway.

“As for core material placement on the right bank, 66,990 cubic metres have been placed, together with 45,530 cubic metres of fill material and 140 cubic metres of riprap.

“Slope trimming is progressing quite well on the right bank, where 90 metres have been trimmed upstream and a further 12 metres downstream.
“Excavations of the spillway are now at an advanced stage, with 20,350 cubic metres having been excavated for the gate and 1,740 cubic metres of backfill material placed.

“Shuttering of the spillway substructure is also being carried out.
“Sand and quarry stone hauling is being undertaken as well, and 1,830 cubic metres of sand have been stockpiled from the Nyagui sand source,” said Mrs. Munyonga.