Lweya irrigation scheme enters Phase II of rehabilitation

Nkhata Bay, June 21, Mana: Director of Irrigation Operations at Green Belt Authority, Chisomo Kumbuyo, has disclosed that all processes for Phase II of rehabilitation works of Lweya Irrigation Scheme in the area of Senior Chief Malanda in Nkhata Bay are completed to ensure that the scheme is fully functional and serves its purpose.

Kumbuyo disclosed this on Friday during an inspection tour by the Authority, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Benedicto Chambo, to appreciate the scheme's operations and interact with farmers.

According to Kumbuyo, the rehabilitation works of Phase Two will proceed as planned.

“Lweya Irrigation Scheme is under the Mega Farm Programme, which is one of the projects the Green Belt Authority is implementing. One of our functions is to rehabilitate aging irrigation infrastructure, and Lweya falls under that category.

“As such, part of the K20 billion which government has allocated under the Mega Farms Programme in this financial year will be used to rehabilitate this scheme, as the resources in Phase I could not cover all the works,” he said.

He added that the Authority is in the process of awarding contracts, and that contractors will be handed over the site to commence work by the end of July this year.

“Some of the works in this phase will include construction of secondary and tertiary canals, field drains, access roads, as well as an alternative intake on the other side of the scheme,” he added.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Benedicto Chambo, said government is committed to increasing irrigable land to make the country food secure.

“As government, we want to make sure that all the schemes under Green Belt Authority are fully functional. We have seen that this scheme has all the facilities, and we want it to be in shape.

“That way, we are increasing the irrigable land in Malawi to ensure that by 2030 we are not dependent on rain-fed farming,” he said.

Chambo therefore urged farmers not to wait for rehabilitation works to be completed but to start preparing their fields so that when the scheme is ready, there should not be a gap but immediate planting of crops.

President for Lweya Water Users Association (WUA), Young Simoni Phiri, said plans to rehabilitate the scheme in Phase II have revived farmers’ hope that they will soon be able to grow crops throughout the year, which has always been their dream.

“We are grateful to government for continued efforts to make our scheme functional, and we are ready to cooperate with the contractor because we know this will empower us economically,” he said.

District Commissioner for Nkhata Bay, David Kayiwonanga Gondwe, urged farmers and the community at large to take ownership of the scheme.

“As a district, we are lucky to have a number of irrigation schemes compared to other districts. We will strive to provide enough extension services as we aim to achieve the country’s food security. As such, I urge you all to take ownership of this scheme and use it to your full potential,” he said.