By 
By Bahle Gama
Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg says the Mpakeni Dam is expected to start the first irrigation around 2027-2028, and from then, it will have a huge expansion.
In a Finance in Focus for the Year video posted by the Ministry of Finance, Minister Neal Rijkenberg highlighted that the country has secured loans for the dam and canal. More loans will be requested for dams, with the government looking around the Kenete area pipeline and distribution canals.
Mpakeni Dam is part of the E30 billion African Development Bank (AfDB) funded Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma Water Augmentation project which has two catchment areas.
The purpose of the Mkhondvo Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Project is to bring water to the Shiselweni Region through the construction of the Mpakeni Dam and water transfer from the Mkhondvo River.
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The project is designed to benefit 100,000 emaSwati, covering a total area of 30,000 ha. In addition, about 10,000 job opportunities will be created and local people will be targeted to benefit. The project targets seven chiefdoms in the Shiselweni Region.
The Minister said the project is special because most of the country’s fertile soils are in the greater Lavumisa area, where there is also the highest rate of poverty.
As rains continue, the flow is down the Mkhondvo area which lands in the dams that are currently irrigating a lot of sugar around the Big Bend and Simunye areas.
“The Mpakeni Dam is currently under construction and is going well. We also have financed the canal that now takes the water from that dam to the irrigated areas.
ow, keeping in mind that this dam is currently going to be able to irrigate about 8,000 hectares, we need more water. So, what we are planning on doing is building a dam also in the Mkhondvo catchment area, around Mketeni, there’s a big dam planned for that area,” Rijkenberg said.
The Minister said if the dam and a pipeline under the mountain range can be built at Hlatikhulu, water will be taken from the Mkhondvo catchment where there is an excess of water that flows into the sea every year.
Upon being pushed into the Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma catchment area into Mpakeni Dam, the irrigated area will increase from the current 8,000 hectares to around 25,000 to 30,000 hectares.
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Rijkenberg also stated that energy plays a big part and believes that Mpakeni Dam and Atom Kenete will allow for the construction of hydro schemes along the canal.
“And so, for that whole reason, we believe that project can be very impactful and create a lot of opportunities for emaSwati. So, those of emaSwati who can start planning can take advantage of the project, as it has already started. It is underway and quite aggressively too,” he said.
Rijkenberg added that the project will have a massive impact which will provide opportunities for different sectors and businesses in the country.
These include shops and vendors, and all types of supply chain around logistics that will start or expand their businesses.
“We believe it’s going to have a big impact on the communities.,” said the Minister.
As weeks go by in the year, the government will unpack more ongoing and future projects to give more understanding around what is being done to give the nation what is being done, and where these projects are expanding.
