MIDWEEK REPORTER
CHIREDZI-Chiredzi Town Council has embarked on a donor assisted Urban Resilience Program with funding from Governments of Japan and Australia with the aid of implementing partners, World Food Program (WFP) and Plan International covering all the eight urban wards.
“Total funding for the program is US$43 000, and main objective is to improve food security and sustainable resilience capacities,” said the acting town secretary, Engineer Wesley Kauma.
Kauma also said Chiredzi often experiences perennial droughts and of late flash floods and there are threats of cholera and COVID-19 hence the program is building resilience amongst the low income earners.
He added that some of the projects done through the donors and implementing partners include, rehabilitation of Mabanana market, solar powered borehole and piped water scheme, poultry production, detergent making training, hydroponics gardens and mushroom farming which will benefit women, youth and the vulnerable.
“At the Mabanana Market it is a Plan International rehabilitated one market shed with a capacity to accommodate 150 vendors, we also constructed a wholesale shed for bulk vegetable sales that accommodate 50 traders and installation of a solar powered borehole and constructed a piped water scheme including washing basin for vegetables,” said Eng Kauma.
On the other hand CTC contributed by constructing a new market shed and reconstructed the second shed both with capacity to accommodate 236 vendors.
“We intend to construct perimeter walls right round the vegetable market as well as the Wholesale market so that trading is controlled and no person will be allowed to sleep inside the market as the premises will be locked after hours.We intend to refurbish the existing structure and turn them into booking houses for long distance traders coming with their wares from Chipinge and other far away farming areas,” added Eng Kauma.
