Govt should improve on irrigation to avert starvation- Chief Chisunga

Senator Chief Chisunga has challenged the government to improve on the issues of irrigation in order top save the nation for escalating food crisis.

"I was deeply touched by the debate that is in this House, which is emanating from the report that was presented by Members of Parliament who went to Korea for the conference that focused mainly on water. My intervention will mainly touch on water; that it is very important. Hon. Members have said a lot but I only want to emphasise on words that were spoken. Yes, water is very vital in all aspects of life. For us to survive on agriculture it is because of water. The hunger that we are experiencing today is because of shortage of water," he said.

"My request is the government should put in place policies that ensure that people have access to water through affirmative action on the availability of engines that are able to draw water from various sources into fields."

He said the government should also improve on the issues of irrigation.

"Most of our farms have dams that have water ranging from 80% to 100%. I am saying this from experience because I once worked for ZINWA and my duties entailed moving around in different farms monitoring water. I remember Hon Emmerson Mnangagwa saying that, when he flew, at one time, he had not realised that as Zimbabwe we had so many dams with water. The hunger we are talking about today, can be alleviated if people were availed with irrigation equipment that they were given during the mechanisation programme in order to engage in irrigation farming," he said.

"More funds should be allocated to ensure that we have dams that are able to harness water. Our economy is agro-based, for our economy to develop, what it means is that we need to finance our agriculture. For now we are able to get inputs but water is not available because when it rains, most of the water is not being harnessed for use in our farms, so we need to harness that water so that we do not suffer from hunger."

"If you look at the way things are progressing, you will realize that a bottle of water that I am holding now, in a few years time, it will be more expensive than it is today. Why? Because most people prefer mineral water, which means in the rural areas, water will also be expensive. So, it will be good if the Government embarks on programmes that ensure harnessing of this water," he added.

He asked if there was a policy that provides for the payment of water as it is being used.

"The sub-catchment areas charge the farmers for using the water. I think the Government needs to review such policies to ensure that our farmers are able to access water at an affordable cost so that our crops are able to get the required water. This will improve our food security. If there is no water, our economy will not develop and it will not be stable. If you look at all the water that we move around with, all cars need water, be it a Pajero or a Mercedes Benz, it needs water. Without water, we are not going anywhere. In our industries, there is need for water," he said.

"In other countries they convert water that is used in the sewerage reticulation and purify it and recycle it for other purposes. Water easily vapors and our efforts should be towards harnessing and harvesting water in order to utilize it for our irrigation projects. With these few words."