Construction of Dowa-Dambo irrigation scheme is progressing well. Situated in the area of Senior Chief Chakhaza in Dowa district, the 453-hectare scheme is divided into two lots with three companies tasked to construct the scheme.
Lot 1 of the works is under a joint venture of Sawa Group and SICO while Lot 2 is being constructed by Foundation for Irrigation and Sustainable Development (FISD).
Sawa Group and SICO are constructing earth dams, new access roads and rehabilitate existing ones, Water Users Association (WUA) office building and latrines. The works will enable 160 hectares to be put under irrigation. All these works are costed at about MK8.3 billion.
Under Lot 2, FISD is constructing two earth dams which are nearing completion, a network of irrigation canals, drilling of boreholes, access roads, latrines and WUA office building at a cost of about MK10 billion.
Overall construction progress is around 85 percent especially for Lot 2 which is under FISD.
Apart from Dowa-Dambo. PRIDE is currently constructing Chipofya and Mzenga irrigation schemes in Rumphi and Nkhata Bay respectively. Dowa-Dambo irrigation scheme in Dowa is the ninth scheme that the Department of Irrigation is constructing under the Programme for Rural Irrigation Development (PRIDE).
PRIDE has already completed construction of six irrigation schemes namely: Mafinga and Marko in Chitipa, Matoponi and Mlooka in Zomba, Lingoni in Machinga and Wowo in Phalombe.
PRIDE is funded by the Government of Malawi and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).