By Bishop Witmos
Mangochi, April 25, Mana: The Greenbelt Authority (GBA) has awarded a contract to the Einstein Construction Company Limited, to extend the rehabilitation of the scheme for approximately 400 hectares of land at Mlambe Irrigation Scheme in Mangochi.
The Authority started the rehabilitation exercise at Mlambe Scheme in May 2024, where it rehabilitated 48 hectares of land, with an aim of ensuring that communities in Mangochi are able to practice winter irrigation.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony of the contract at Mlambe scheme on Friday, GBA Infrastructure Development Manager, Synoden Kautsi said that the project which is expected to run for nine months, starting from April, 2025, will cost the Authority K21 billion.
Kautsi said the major works to be undertaken at the scheme include grading and leveling of the 400 hector land, rehabilitation of main canal, installation of solar-powered system at the intake of the scheme, as well as construction of Water Users Association (WUA) offices at the site.
He therefore urged the contractor to work within the timeframe, and to maintain high standards throughout the project.
‘‘We expect the contractor to adhere to the timeline, be mindful of environmental concerns, but most importantly, high quality and impressive work,” he said.
President for the Association of Mlambe Irrigation Scheme, Philip Mkwera commended government for increasing funding to the scheme, saying that the move will help communities in Mangochi to achieve government goal of transforming Malawi into a middle income country.
"As an association, we are very excited and grateful to the government for this development. Extending the area for winter irrigation farming at the Mlambe Irrigation Scheme will not only benefit our immediate families, but also contribute significantly to the Mega Farm initiative, helping to transform the country into a middle-income economy," said Mkwera.
Managing Director for Einstein Construction Company Limited, Kenneth Khonje assured the authority of their professionalism, as well as adherence to high quality work.
Mlambe Irrigation Scheme, which has approximately 800 hectares of land, has for the past years been run during rainy season only.
