* Apart from the construction of the massive irrigation canal, the STVP aligns with several government stakeholders
* It reaches out to the beneficiaries, small and medium farmers, who have been trained on good agricultural practices
* Helped then establish agricultural business cooperatives as well as to adjudicate on land boundaries
By Robert Nayeja, MANA
Shire Valley Transformation Programme (SVTP) yesterday handed over a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle to the department of lands at Nsanje District Council to facilitate SVTP’s activities that are taking place in the district.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, official from SVTP, Laura Njoka said the vehicle has been provided to facilitate their activities such as land registration after taking note that the Council was experiencing mobility challenges.
She thus said the car will help to make their exercise a success, while urging authorities at the district council to take its good care so that it should serve the council beyond its intended project.
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She advised the Council to make sure that the vehicle should be serviced on time so that it should not breakdown, to which Council vice-chairperson, Felix Round pledged that they will take good care of it so that it should save the people of Nsanje longer.
He applauded SVTP for the timely support, saying it has come at a time when the Council is experiencing mobility challenges: “We have few vehicles which made it difficult for implementation of other programmes. The Council will make sure that the vehicle should be used for the intended purposes.”
Deputy Director in the Ministry of Lands, Jambo Chidziwitsano said the vehicle has come at the right time as the department is implementing a lot of activities in Nsanje district.
“Currently, we are conducting land registration and also presenting land plans to the community in the district,” he said. “This car will help to facilitate implementation of such kind of activities.”
Chidziwitsano, however, pointed out that the vehicle will help in the implementation of land activities at district level as the Ministry of Lands has desolved some of its functions to local authorities.
Apart from the construction of the massive irrigation canal from Kapichira in Chikwawa to Ngabu in Nsanje, the Shire Valley Transformation Programme aligns with several government stakeholders, that includes its main facilitator, the Agriculture Ministry as well as those of lands, environment, trade, local government, water among others.
The Programme reached out to the beneficiaries, small and medium farmers, who have been trained on good agricultural practices, helped then establish agricultural business cooperatives as well as to adjudicate on land boundaries — thus the involvement of Department of Lands.
Last month, President Lazarus Chakwera inspected progress of the mega farm concept SVTP is one of the development projects where he assured farmers that the programme will in due course start bearing fruits which are going to transform their livelihoods.
He also inspected the SVTP outlet 1, where there is construction of the water treatment plant for the project is underway, which signifies government’s unwavering dedication to delivering sustainable water and sanitation services for household and other industrial purposes.
The water treatment plant is expected to empower the Southern Region Water Board to satisfy the water supply requirements of approximately 43,052 individuals in the region.
Since the commencement of the project in April 2020, different structures have been completed including 77 out of 80 drainage structures, 20 out of 28 traffic bridges, 18 out of 22 pedestrian bridges, 1 fish barrier structure, 1 cofferdam at Kapichira Dam, 1 flume, 5 siphons, over 20kms lined/paved, and 63 out of 108 animal escape routes, among others.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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