The Diocese of Gweru, a Catholic diocese in Zimbabwe, has rebuilt its own dam as part of faith-based responses to water challenges brought by climate change.
As reported by EarthBeat, the Holy Cross Dam, reconstructed at the beginning of this year, is expected to create a greenbelt for local farming communities and drive other downstream economic activities.
The construction of the Gweru Diocese dam comes at a time when the government of Zimbabwe has pledged more investment in dam rehabilitation and dam construction to boost food production after successive poor harvests due to below-normal rainfall.
Minister of Finance, Economic Development and lnvestment Promotion, Mthuli Ncube, told State media:
When it comes to investment in irrigation, we are going to accelerate investments now that we have the water bodies.
We have to impound water. So, it’s an ongoing program to complete dams under construction.
Speaking to EarthBeat, Fr. Kudakwashe Musvevereki, the Gweru Diocese pastoral director, said:
[The dam] was damaged by floods in 2008. The dam was the source of livelihood for the whole community as there was irrigation for the community, but it was no longer functional.
The reconstructed dam is going to support irrigation for the community and there are also going to be fishery projects. People’s livestock will also get water from the dam.
The Holy Cross Dam is one of many such projects being undertaken by the Catholic Church across the country in response to climate change and the desire to boost food production among low-income communities.
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