IT’s not only about power generation, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Power Plant (JNHPP) comes with myriad economic opportunities, President Samia Suluhu Hassan reminded on Thursday.
Thus, she directed several ministries to maximise opportunities presented by the JNHPP and dam for the greater good of the country.
The Head of State issued the directives in the Coast Region during the impounding and first fill ceremony of JNHPP. The Rufiji River has been diverted for two years, and the ceremony signals its return to its natural course.
In her directive to the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Samia noted that the project would present a significant opportunity for irrigation farming in the Rufiji delta, where an area of about 400,000 acres can be irrigated.
“I am directing the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Land, President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government, to survey the areas and divide them into blocks or large farms in order to hold an open auction to find reliable irrigation agriculture investors,” President Samia said.
She added that it was significant for the ministry to set aside a special region for small-scale farmers, particularly in places with irrigation infrastructure.
President Samia stated that the 100-kilometer-long dam will offer excellent fishing opportunities, calling it a chance to practice modern fishing.
She instructed the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries to develop a detailed plan for modern fish farming in order to boost the livelihoods of those living in the project area.
“The Ministry of Works and Transport, specifically Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), has to prepare a road construction project from Chalinze to Utete through this project, the aim is that a person going from Lindi or Mtwara to Iringa or Arusha and elsewhere will not have to go through Dar es Salaam, this will help shorten the journeys of people from the regions of the south,” she noted.
There is a lot of water flowing in the Rufiji River, she said, and it can help to increase Dar es Salaam’s water supply. She directed the Water Minister to task the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA) to look at how to use the water from the Rufiji River and build a water receiving station in the Mloka River area.
“This issue is important because we cannot rely on the Ruvu river alone,” she stressed.
President Samia performed the historical act of launching the process of impounding water into the JNHPP dam as the initial stage towards the completion of the 6.5tri/- power generation project which will produce 2,115 Megawatts.
The event signalled the closure of the diversion tunnel, which redirected the Rufiji River back to its mainstream through the lower gates of the main dam after the impounding.
