ZEMA, WARMA Slowing Irrigation Efforts in Zambia, says Farmers

By Kalata News

Lusaka 18/03/24 – Commercial Farmers have told the Zambian government that over regulation and slow pace of Government entities are frustrating the construction of dams and completion of irrigation services in Zambia.

Speaking during a consultative meeting called last Thursday by Government for the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) and other stakeholders, the farmers identified the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) as culprits.

The farmers told the Minister of Green Economy and Environment Hon. Eng. Collins Nzovu and Minister of Water Development and Sanitation Hon. Mike Mposha, that in many cases, it took between one year to seven years or more for an irrigation project to be completed in Zambia.

“It has taken Rufunsa Irrigation Scheme seven years to have their project approved. In that period the Project continued to lose funds, lose community support and experienced funders fatigue,” explained ZNFU trustee Mr. Graham Mulders of Kalomo.

Other issues identified included the high cost of trying to meet these ZEMA and WARMA regulatory demands, high cost of consultancy fees and lack of speed in decision making process by these Government entities.

The meeting was called to discuss challenges being faced in erecting and managing dams in Zambia in view of the current drought. The meeting also discussed practical solutions to how farmers can be helped for the country to its irrigation potential.

 

In the meeting it was noted that Zambia had fewer dams compared to its neighbours despite the country having more water bodies and rivers than its neighbours. Over 40 commercial farmers, cooperatives, and other stakeholders from all the farming regions were in Lusaka for this meeting.

Among the issues that the farmers identified included:

• Financing – most dam projects have stalled because of lack of finance and limited sources of finance. Farmers need to have support to access funding from private entities and or Government must establish a fund to help farmers/communities who are building dams and cannot find private finance.
• Delays in approval of dam projects by both ZEMA and WARMA – the farmers bemoaned the time it took for a dam project to be approved with others taking as long as 7 years. They noted that instead of helping speed up the implementation of the projects, these government regulatory bodies were a stumbling block and tended to drag their feet in ensuring the projects were implemented. They suggested that the 30 day and 60-day periods for reviewing of projects be reduced or an SI introduced that said any project document submitted to Government for approval if not deliberated upon within the specified period should be considered approved as was the case with the Forestry Act.
• Over regulation – Farmers noted the costs of meeting ZEMA and WARMA regulatory conditions that include high cost of consultancy fees, opportunity costs of delays, and unrealistic allocations of water rights to farmers on their dams.
• Protection of Wetlands and Riverbeds-farmers felt there was lack of policing by ZEMA And WARMA on the wetlands and riverbeds which is resulting in the silting of Dams because of sand and the drying of wetlands as farming activities invade these areas.

The ministers announced that Government would be in a few days announcing changes to various Acts on water and environment that would help speed up the introduction of irrigation services in Zambia. Another meeting will be called to review the actions taken in view of the challenges faced by the farming community.

Zambia has declared a drought and national emergency due to the negative effects of El Nino and is expected to have reduced food supply owing to the impeding drought. As a result, President Hakainde Hichilema has called upon farmers with dams and irrigation systems to work with the government in growing more foods to mitigate these effects. Others have been asked to help import more food from abroad.