Manyuchi Dam
Encyclopedia
Manyuchi Dam forms a reservoir
on the Mwenezi River
in southern Zimbabwe
. It is located in the Mwenezi District. The building of the dam was financed by the Mwenezi Development Corporation. The dam was built to irrigate oil palm estates.
and Chiredzi (District), where they suddenly found themselves labelled illegal settlers by local officials.
makes when passing though the mountains close to the bucolic village of Magomana
. The area is dominated by mountains and kopjes. It is an arch dam with a gross head that stands at 25 m in height.
The water level in the dam reached the spillway
crest for the first in 1996.
The river once boasted of hippos, but now they are gone. Instead the dam is riven with crocodiles. A number of villagers have lost their lives in the past while fishing in the dam from the Nile Crocodile
s. There are several species of fish found in the dam, mostly in the family of tigerfish
found in Lake Kariba
. The dam's lifespan is under threat from the upstream dwellers, especially those in Mataga and districts in Zvishavane who till in the catchment of the dam producing silt.
(ZESA) has long had plans to generate electricity from the dam but nothing has come of it due to shortage of funding. Studies show, however, that the water availability should make it possible to drive two 350-kilowatt turbines 6 000 hours per year, so as to generate 4.2 gigawatthours per year.
The local population have tried to start irrigation projects using the water from the dam, but lack of funding has derailed their efforts, especially those in nearby Magomana
village.
It was built to provide water for irrigation for both the commercial and rural irrigation schemes. To date, only the commercial farmers have benefited. None of the 3,476 hectares which were to have been irrigated for the small farmers has been developed. In 1995, at the height of a severe drought in the district and nationally, the dam was over 80 percent full and benefiting only a few large scale commercial farmers.
Lately there has been talk of Lapache Irrigation Scheme, a project funded by both the government, Triangle Sugar Ltd and a consortium of non-governmental organizations. The scheme represents the first major step towards the utilization of water from the dam to benefit local communities. Beneficiaries shall mainly be resettled farmers on the Lapache Farm.
The dam features in local folklore.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
on the Mwenezi River
Mwenezi River
Mwenezi River is a major tributary of the Limpopo River. The Mwenezi River starts up in south central Zimbabwe and flows south-east along what is known as the Mwenezi River Vally that bisects the district into two sectors.. The river is found in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique...
in southern Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. It is located in the Mwenezi District. The building of the dam was financed by the Mwenezi Development Corporation. The dam was built to irrigate oil palm estates.
History
The dam was built by International Construction Zimbabwe (ICZ), a division of the southern African construction giant Murray and Roberts, and was completed in 1988. The dam is located in the Mwenwezi River Valley in the middle section of the river. The area is flat and dry and semi-arid with countless dome-shaped mountains and kopjes in which troops of baboons roam at will. When it was built, a number of villages where displaced and forced to relocate by the government to distant places like the area between NgunduNgundu
Ngundu is a village in Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe.Pre 1950 Ngundu Halt was a stopping point for the Rhodesia Railways Road Motor Service, or RMS. There was a small roof topped structure with a secure door where the mailbag was dropped for Triangle Estates and I believe for other residents in the...
and Chiredzi (District), where they suddenly found themselves labelled illegal settlers by local officials.
Physical characteristics
The dam was built in a gorge that the Mwenezi RiverMwenezi River
Mwenezi River is a major tributary of the Limpopo River. The Mwenezi River starts up in south central Zimbabwe and flows south-east along what is known as the Mwenezi River Vally that bisects the district into two sectors.. The river is found in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique...
makes when passing though the mountains close to the bucolic village of Magomana
Magomana
Magomana is a small village located in Mwenezi . A string of mountains separates it from the main wall of Manyuchi Dam, less than five miles away in the north. The village is found on a watershed within the Maranda communal lands south of the Mwenezi River but north of the Mushawe River.- Geography...
. The area is dominated by mountains and kopjes. It is an arch dam with a gross head that stands at 25 m in height.
The water level in the dam reached the spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
crest for the first in 1996.
Ecology
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
s. There are several species of fish found in the dam, mostly in the family of tigerfish
Tigerfish
Tigerfish is the common name for a variety of species from several different families of fish, usually on account of their colouration or otherwise fearsome appearance and teeth.- Alestiidae :...
found in Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir. It lies 1300 kilometers upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe...
. The dam's lifespan is under threat from the upstream dwellers, especially those in Mataga and districts in Zvishavane who till in the catchment of the dam producing silt.
Electricity Generation
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply AuthorityZimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, officially called ZESA Holdings LTD., is a state-owned company whose task is to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in Zimbabwe...
(ZESA) has long had plans to generate electricity from the dam but nothing has come of it due to shortage of funding. Studies show, however, that the water availability should make it possible to drive two 350-kilowatt turbines 6 000 hours per year, so as to generate 4.2 gigawatthours per year.
Irrigation
The Manyuchi dam in Zimbabwe was designed to irrigate an agroindustrial complex (2,000 hectares of sugar cane), 40 km downstream from the dam. The dam is to be used primarily to meet irrigation needs.The local population have tried to start irrigation projects using the water from the dam, but lack of funding has derailed their efforts, especially those in nearby Magomana
Magomana
Magomana is a small village located in Mwenezi . A string of mountains separates it from the main wall of Manyuchi Dam, less than five miles away in the north. The village is found on a watershed within the Maranda communal lands south of the Mwenezi River but north of the Mushawe River.- Geography...
village.
It was built to provide water for irrigation for both the commercial and rural irrigation schemes. To date, only the commercial farmers have benefited. None of the 3,476 hectares which were to have been irrigated for the small farmers has been developed. In 1995, at the height of a severe drought in the district and nationally, the dam was over 80 percent full and benefiting only a few large scale commercial farmers.
Lately there has been talk of Lapache Irrigation Scheme, a project funded by both the government, Triangle Sugar Ltd and a consortium of non-governmental organizations. The scheme represents the first major step towards the utilization of water from the dam to benefit local communities. Beneficiaries shall mainly be resettled farmers on the Lapache Farm.
Recreation
Previously tourists used to go there do fishing and other cool activities. But these days, it is difficult to get there, the roads were washed away etc. you would need a four-wheel drive vehicle to access it.In popular culture