Ministry of Agriculture assures of speedy continuation of construction works of Shire Valley Transformation Project after floods damages some construction structures

State of the intake foundation 

* The foundation of the intake structure is intact but the 750-meter siphon has been partially damaged

* All critical structures are intact including the flume, siphon, culverts and the main canal

* The Ministry will carry out detailed assessment of the damage once the water levels drop and the site is accessible

By Duncan Mlanjira

Extensive floods that wreaked damage in the Lower Shire did not spare construction works of Shire Valley Transformation Project (STVP) — damaging some structures but the Ministry of Agriculture assures the public of speedy continuation of construction works.

In a statement from Secretary for Agriculture, Sandram Maweru says following rumors which have been making rounds that the intake structure of the Project at Kapichira Dam had been washed away by the floods that took place on January 24-25, the Ministry assessed the situation using drone aerial surveillance.

Maweru said the assessment revealed that the foundation of the intake structure is intact but a structure which has been partially damaged is a section of the 750-meter siphon which connects the intake and the main canal.

All critical structures are intact including the flume, siphon, culverts and the main canal and together with contractor, Conduril, the Ministry will carry out detailed assessment of the damage once the water levels drop and the site is accessible.

Maweru stressed that construction of the intake structure was at foundation stage together with two yet-to-be-completed superstructures of front wing walls. However, one incomplete wing wall was damaged.

He said the floods breached both the dyke for Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO) that controls water flow and direction of the Shire River as well as STVP’s coffer dam which flooded the intake foundation.

Maweru assured that all measures will be employed to ensure continuation of construction works as it remains the wish of the Ministry that construction of the STVP culminates into providing irrigation water to 223,000 smallholder farmers in the Shire Valley and transforming them from subsistence to commercial farmers in line with Malawi 2063 Agenda.

In another audio statement made available to the media, the Project’s irrigation engineer, Martin Chizalema said the 750-meter siphon was affected in that it shifted due to the strong water floods and it shall need to be realigned once construction works resumed.

He said the main 6km canal is almost complete and that it remains intact together with two of the access bridges over the canal.

Other structures almost completed include the flume, which he also said was intact as well as the crossings designed to control extreme water flow once the canal shall be operational.

The biggest challenge now is for the Ministry — in conjunction with EGENCO — to restore the main access road from Chikwawa to their sites which have been made inaccessible due to wash away of a bridge at Mwambezi.

Also affected is the Majete Game Reserve, which shares borders with STVP construction works as well as EGENCO at Kapichira Dam. One section of the canal from the intake cuts through Majete Game Reserve.

He concurred with Maweru that after the drone and physical foot assessers, the intake foundation was intact save the incomplete wing wall which collapsed.

Chizalema said, going forward, they shall be holding meetings together the construction contractor, Conduril and EGENCO to analyze short, medium and long term solutions but the immediate concern is to restore the access road that would help solve challenges at Kapichira Dam.

He said the floods — which were an unexpected natural phenomenon — draws back their construction schedule but was quick to also say all measures will be employed to ensure continuation of construction works.

 

As the rains poured hell in the highlands, which trashed the excess to the Lower Shire, Southern Region was plunged into power blackout on Monday evening with EGENCO issuing a statement due to the flash floods it was “forced to shutdown some machines to protect intake structures from damage”.

A situation report from EGENCO later on Tuesday reported that it was working tirelessly to restore generation at Kapichira Power Station suffered extensive damage at the intake dam structure.

EGENCO and its sister Company ESCOM are still rationing power supply up until water levels are down for safe operation of other machines.

The impending floods were well warned off on Saturday by the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services which reported that there was a Tropical Depression which was an initial stage in the development of a Tropical Cyclone — now named Cyclone Ana — that has developed in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar on Friday, January 21.

The Department reported that as of Saturday, January 22 at 10:00 local time, the Tropical Depression was located over Madagascar Island and was moving at a speed of 37km per hour.

The depression entered the Mozambique Channel by midnight of Sunday January 23 where it continued moving towards Mozambique coast and as according computer readings of the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services the shortest distance along the track to Malawi was expected to be almost 500km.

Thus the Department warned in advance that given the recent heavy rains and flash flooding in the Southern Region, this tropical system could renew flash flooding or lead to new flooding concerns across the region.