Giving Dignity to the Displaced: How Thwake Dam’s Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) has propelled families to socio-economic growth

By Rhoda Kambua
Social Development and Gender Expert
Globally, a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth resettlement and compensation of affected individuals and communities during project constructions. 
According to a publication by the Internal Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Vol. 44, titled; (quote the Banks OS2 policy instead )Dam-induced displacement and resettlement: Reflections from Tokwe-Mukorsi flood disaster, Zimbabwe, dam development can positively and negatively affect surrounding communities in many direct and indirect ways. Large dams may still create other serious undesirable impacts on local communities, if they are not carefully planned besides other direct benefits like hydropower generation, flood protection, irrigation, industrial and domestic water supply, fishing, tourism and employment creation. 
A well-structured RAP is essential for managing land acquisition and resettlement in construction of projects, including large dams. It is critical for dam builders to follow required steps and engagee stakeholders so that projects can proceed with integrity, minimizing disruptions, and ensuring the welfare of affected individuals and communities.
In the case of Thwake Multipurpose Dam, the Government acquired 9,158 acres of land for the dam project displacing approximately 1,792 persons referred to as Project Affected Persons (PAPs). 
The State Department for Water and Sanitation as at 30th September 2024 , ensured that close to 1,808 Project Affected Persons (PAPs) out of the targeted initial 1,812 Project Affected Persons (PAPs) had been fully compensated and relocated from the dam site. 
This exercise has successfully been done through the help of the National Land Commission (NLC).  
The Government further acquired additional land of 24.2654 Hectares (59.9598 acres) covering at least 9 land parcels with 28 Project Affected Persons (PAPs) to accommodate construction of employer’s camp, a saddle dam, enlarged spillway and main road. All the funds were remitted to the NLC and all the PAPs on the additional land have been fully compensated and have relocated.
The good thing is that there is noticeable and documented status of the relocated PAPs which shows that their social economic status has really improved compared to their previous lives. 
This is evident through the modernized house, engagement of more families in income generating activities, livestock farming as well as increase in transition of school going children from primary to secondary/junior high school and even technical colleges. 
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“When compared to well-off families, poor households need additional support to rebuild their livelihoods in the resettlement areas. Dam-induced resettlement need to consider some tailored approaches to supporting households with lower capacity for adaptation, rather than providing homogenous compensation packages. Dam projects can also impoverish host communities by destroying their productive assets, disrupting their social fabric, reducing their incomes and access to ecosystem services,” reads the journal in part.