The Zambezi Watercourse Commission (Zamcom) has refuted Zimbabwe’s claims that it got the green light to draw water from the Zambezi River under the country’s ambitious National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project.
In a statement on Wednesday, the watercourse’s regulatory authority, Zamcom, said there were no records to prove Zimbabwe’s claims that it had already secured permission for the project.
Zamcom secretary Michael Mutale told NewsDay: “The modalities of one riparian state seeking permission from Sadc countries over development of the river basin water resources has so far never existed.
“In fact, the creation of Zamcom is the first attempt to create such. Therefore it is not documented on how Zimbabwe sought permission to undertake the inter-basin water transfer from the Zambezi.”
Mutale added that it was also unclear whether the consultations Zimbabwe says it undertook involved all the 14 Sadc countries or it was only the eight riparian countries that share the Zambezi waters and its tributaries.
Riparian states are countries that are connected to a river. Countries riparian to the vast Zambezi include Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique.
The development emerged after NewsDay had sought clarification from Zamcom as to the progress of Zimbabwe’s reported request to draw water from the Zambezi.
Efforts to get Zimbabwe’s poition over the latest development were fruitless as both Water Resources Management and Development minister, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo and his personal assistant Butholezwe Nyathi could not be reached for comment.
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Last year Nkomo said Zimbabwe had formally approached other riparian countries to seek permission to draw water from Zambezi.
The renamed National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project is seen as a permanent solution to end the water crisis in the Matabeleland region, and Bulawayo in particular.
The water project has however moved at snail’s pace with no substantial developments despite numerous cash injections by the government and other stakeholders.
The ambitious project to pipe water from the Zambezi river, 452 kilometres away from Bulawayo, was first mooted in 1912 but abandoned by successive governments due to the high costs involved.
The Zambezi watercourse is of particular importance in the region because it is shared by eight countries with a total population of over 50 million. On the funding of the interim Zamcom secretariat, Mutale said the Norwegian government would foot the bill for a period of 12 months.
“Each member riparian state will supplement a small portion to this core funding. The exact figure is better known by the ministers responsible for water from each riparian state.
“In any case, riparian countries are yet to explore the core funding arrangement amongst themselves beyond the available external support once the permanent Secretariat is in place” said Mutale.
