Chinese State owned companies changing face of Eswatini with quality infrastructure including about R3billion Mpakeni Day funded by African Development Bank (AfDB) amid ‘negotiations’ over proposed diplomatic relations, Acting CEO says resettlement going on smoothly despite criticism.
MBABANE: Chinese State owned companies Sinohydro and Yellow River contracted under the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (EWADE), are currently changing the face of the tiny Kingdom’s infrastructure with about R3billion Mpakeni Dam funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).B…
MBABANE: Chinese State owned companies Sinohydro and Yellow River contracted under the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (EWADE), are currently changing the face of the tiny Kingdom’s infrastructure with about R3billion Mpakeni Dam funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
But the despite the ongoing impressive infrastructure development, EWADE has been battling with criticism, some residents are complaining about delayed compensation and emerging alleged respiratory illnesses.
As a result, EWADE invited journalists last week to tour the project and assess the ongoing resettlement program valued at over R140million, the media managed to gather accurate information for purposes of accurate reporting and Acting Chief Executive Officer John Nsibande told this Swaziland News that, the purpose of inviting the media was a demonstration of transparency and accountability.
“This was about allowing the facts to speak for themselves,” Acting Chief Executive Officer John Nsibande said.
But the visit offered an unusually detailed look inside a project that has increasingly found itself at the centre of public debate, dominating the public discourse.
The allegations surrounding the blasting have become some of the most damaging facing the project, some residents claimed that dust generated during controlled blasting has caused respiratory illnesses, livestock deaths and, in some instances, fatalities within nearby communities.
Robisnson Dlamini, the Joint Venture’s Environmental Specialist told journalists that, years of monitoring have not established any scientific evidence linking blasting operations to the illnesses or cattle deaths alleged on social media by some residents.
Dlamini said, every blast is governed by strict engineering, environmental and occupational safety procedures designed to minimise dust, vibration and noise.
“We have not established any scientific evidence linking controlled blasting to the illnesses or livestock deaths that have been alleged,” he said.
Journalists were then taken to observe the blasting process firsthand, long before explosives were detonated, the site was cleared of workers, heavy machinery was withdrawn from the blast zone, access roads were barricaded, and security teams swept the area to ensure no people or livestock remained inside the exclusion zone.
Nearby communities and project personnel were warned by two sirens.
The officials also demonstrated the project’s environmental monitoring equipment, which continuously measures dust, vibration and noise levels during construction.
Water bowsers operate throughout the site to suppress dust, while independent environmental audits and regulatory inspections are conducted as part of the project’s compliance programme.
But according to EWADE, those safeguards are mandatory and have consistently confirmed compliance with approved environmental standards.
Written by
Zweli Martin Dlamini