MBABANE – The African Development Bank-backed Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Programme Phase II has advanced through updated environmental and social assessments.
This marks progress towards a major water infrastructure investment intended to expand irrigation, strengthen food security and improve energy supply in Eswatini. The progress is reflected in a September 2026 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) report prepared for the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (EWADE), the government agency responsible for implementing the project.
The report focuses on the proposed Ethemba Dam and water-transfer tunnel, which form the second phase of the Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Programme (MNWAP). However, the updated assessment remains part of the project preparation process, with the report indicating that it must be submitted to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for clearance before being reviewed by the Eswatini Environment Authority (EEA) for approval.
The environmental authorisation is a requirement before implementation can proceed.
E949.9 million for resettlements
MBABANE – The indicative resettlement budget is estimated at approximately E949.9 million, equivalent to about US$58.7 million in the report.
The document makes clear that this is a planning estimate based on the assets identified and the proposed resettlement process. It should, therefore, not be interpreted as a final amount already approved or paid to affected households.
The resettlement planning covers various assets, including residential buildings, fruit trees, schools, a clinic and other community facilities that may be affected by the dam and associated infrastructure.
The report also records concerns raised during consultations, including questions about the relocation areas, the treatment of affected assets and the timing of resettlement.
These issues underline the importance of completing the required consultation, compensation and relocation processes before activities that would cause displacement are undertaken.
The proposed management framework includes a grievance redress mechanism through which affected people can raise complaints and seek resolution of disputes associated with the project.
A total of 651 households, with a population of 3 500 have been identified within the directly affected area. Approximately 72 per cent below the age of 35, including a substantial proportion of children and youth, indicating high dependency ratios and future pressure on employment and services. Household composition is predominantly male-headed (73 per cent), with female-headed households accounting for 27 per cent. With regard to loss of community infrastructure, 52 community assets, which include schools, churches, dipping tanks and 39 shops and small enterprises will inundated.
These consist of two schools with 701 learners, 30 teachers and eight support staff – located at Mkhitsini, one clinic at Mkhitsini, 39 businesses and enterprises at Mgomfelweni.
It also includes three sporting/recreational facilities at Mkhitsini, one dip tank servicing 60 homesteads at Mkhitsini. The community assets are utilised by an estimated population of 5 500 people.
Ethemba Dam to store 540 million cubic metres
MBABANE – MNWAP Phase II will involve the construction of Ethemba Dam on the Mkhondvo River, alongside a 27.9-kilometre water-transfer tunnel connecting the reservoir to the Ngwavuma River.
The dam is designed to store approximately 540 million cubic metres of water, which would be transferred through the tunnel to augment supplies into the Mpakeni Dam, the principal water-storage component under the programme’s first phase.
The proposed dam will be a roller-compacted concrete gravity structure with a maximum height of 121.5 metres from its foundation.
The tunnel, with an excavation diameter of 3.8 metres, is expected to transport water from the reservoir towards a planned hydropower facility on the Ngwavuma River.
The project also includes a 5-megawatt hydropower plant, which would generate renewable electricity before discharging water into the river system for downstream use.
These infrastructure components are intended to strengthen the country’s capacity to store and distribute water, particularly for agricultural production in the southern Lowveld.
