Zimbabwe farmers appeal for water tariffs review downwards

COMMERCIAL farmers have appealed to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority's (Zinwa) to revise water tariffs downwards saying the latest review from US$10, 76 to US$10 was negligible and therefore hardly felt, as they push to reduce production costs and make their operations more rewarding.

The farmers' appeal comes on the backdrop of a campaign by Zinwa for water users to ensure they sign abstraction agreements before they use the precious liquid in their various projects.

Zinwa corporate and communications manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga did not dismiss the farmers' concerns but explained that they were currently holding consultations with farmers' organisations, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and other stakeholders to come up with a solution on the matter.
"Zinwa and farmers' organisations have been in a very progressive discussion and deliberations on issues affecting farmers' access to water including the tariff model to help farmers take up irrigation water from dams and to also allow Zinwa to realise sufficient revenue from irrigation water sales for the maintenance of dams.

"For now there are no chances for a downward review, as we are still engaged in deliberations with other stakeholders to come up with a way forward," she said.

Last year Government reviewed downwards the irrigation water tariff for farmers growing cereals under irrigation as a way of promoting the uptake of irrigation water across the country and improve food security.

Mrs Munyonga said tariffs were set in such a way that recognised the different farmer categories and their capacity to pay since the idea was to allow every farmer in need of water to have access to the resource.

"Before tariffs could be adjusted or implemented, they go under a painstaking review process, which starts with the Zinwa management and board and ends with Cabinet approval. Zinwa and farmer organisations have been in very progressive discussions and deliberations on issues affecting farmers' access to water, including the tariff model, to help farmers take up irrigation water from the dams and to also allow Zinwa to realise sufficient revenue from irrigation water sales for the maintenance of dams," said Mrs Munyonga.

She added that raw water tariffs were not set using hectarage but volumes since different crops have different water requirements.

"In the case of irrigation water, the water is charged per megalitre, which translates to one million litres. Before Zinwa implements any tariffs, they are approved by Government and have always been set to be affordable and responsive to the need to create a food secure country.

"The tariff is also structured in a way that makes the water accessible and affordable to all categories of farmers," she explained.

She said it was however pertinent to note that several farmers had not been paying their water bills for years and were now saddled with debts, which made it appear as if water is priced out of their reach.

Water tariffs are set using a formula that takes into account the maintenance costs of the water bodies and infrastructure that deliver water to the farmers. This includes dam maintenance as well as operations and maintenance costs for equipment such as valves and pumping components, which is capital intensive. The dams are also, by law, expected to undergo periodic inspections while in some instances components for the dam equipment have to be imported.

This is in line with the user pays principle of the integrated water resources management (IWRM) where water users should meet the cost of maintaining the water bodies they draw water from and what farmers pay is largely a cost recovery tariff to ensure dam safety and sound operation of water systems.