THE Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has urged the National Irrigation Commission (NiRC) to complete Membe irrigation dam project I Chamwino District, Dodoma Region, to enable area residents to use it for agriculture and improve their livelihoods.

The project, which is estimated to cost over 16.4bn/-, began in August 2022 and was expected to be completed by August 2023.

PAC Chairperson Naghenjwa Kaboyoka issued the statement yesterday following a site inspection of the strategic project.

Kaboyoka emphasized that the government has invested significant funds to ensure the project’s completion and that it benefits the local community. She stressed that failing to complete the project would defeat its purpose.

“Our role as a committee is to ensure that the funds invested in this project provide real benefits to the people in this area. We urge director-general of the commission to ensure that this project is completed and begins serving the community,” she said.

Raymond Mndolwa, Director General of NiRC, explained that the dam’s purpose is to increase water availability for irrigation to improve production of crops such as maize, sorghum, millet, and vegetables, allowing for two growing seasons per year.

“Membe dam will have a capacity to store 12,000,000 cubic meters of water, equivalent to 12 billion liters. This will irrigate 2,500 hectares of farmland, benefiting 1,500 farmers in Membe area,” he said.

He also confirmed that the project is funded by the central government through its budget, with construction starting in the 2022/2023 financial year. The total cost is 16,424,620,010/- including VAT.

James Pilly, Assistant Auditor General at the National Audit Office, reported that their audit revealed the project’s costs have increased due to delays in completion.

“This project was supposed to be completed within one year by August 2023 but it has now exceeded 680 days, which is over two years. The delays have also led to increased costs due to changes in the scope of work,” he said.