25 Jul 2024

The Ministry  of Agriculture had planned to  rehabilitate three community  dams  for  livestock watering in the  2023/2024  planning  period.
Responding to a question in Parliament on Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture,  Mr Fidelis Molao  said this was however  not  possible due to the relocation of machinery to attend to  other emergencies in the  ministry such as the  outbreak  of foot and mouth  across the  country.

He said the plan was to include the rehabilitation in the fiscal year of 2024/2025.

Mr Molao said there were  currently  over  50  small dams across the  country, which  needed  assessment  and rehabilitation though the ministry  could only  afford  to rehabilitate three dams  per  year.

“The idea is to outsource the  rehabilitation  of these dams  in order  to speedily address the  problems associating  with  these dams,” he said.

Mr Molao said the  ministry had been undertaking  small dams  rehabilitation through the recurrent  budget  as there was  no  specific  budget  allocation for small dams rehabilitation, adding the  ministry was  hopeful  to collaborate  with local communities or  private  parties to  carry  out the  rehabilitation  of small  dams  in the  near  future.

Tati West  MP, Mr Simon Moabi had asked the  minister  to state  if there  were any  plans  in place to  rehabilitate community  dams  for  livestock watering. ENDS