Very few people in Zimbabwe are aware that wetlands are nature’s shock absorbers and act as natural sponges helping absorb rainfall, reducing floods and droughts.
Environmental experts say they reduce the risks of flooding that come with storm surges and tropical cyclones.
They further say that the wetlands act as natural buffers and if managed wisely reduce people’s exposure to storm surges, floods, drought and cyclones.
In addition to this, wetlands can support livelihoods and basic needs for food, water, shelter and other needs, building resilience against disasters and climate change.
Deforestation and the destruction of wetlands in Zimbabwe has led to the damaging of homes, roads and crops in parts of Chimanimani, Chipinge, Buhera, Gweru, Masvingo, Chiredzi, Harare, Chitungwiza and Matabeleland South.
An update from the UN International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and the Civil Protection Unit shows that 9 661 homes were destroyed or damaged in the country as of January 27, showing the gravity of the impact of wetlands destruction and climate change.
As Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world to mark the World Wetlands Day yesterday under the theme: “Wetlands and Water”, there is already growing concern in the country about the poor appreciation of wetlands as a buffer against flooding.
The flooding of scores of houses built on or near wetlands in various parts of the country following the unusually heavy rains that pounded the country in recent days, points to corruption and weak implementation of existing environmental laws that prohibit construction on undesignated land on rivers and delicate ecosystems such as wetlands.
In and around Harare, several homes built on undesignated land on the edges of streams and rivers, as well as on wetlands in parts of Glen View and Budiriro suburbs of Harare were flooded.
This also played out in Chitungwiza town, where floods left a trail of disaster, with hundreds of families affected after their homes and property were destroyed.
Flash Floods hit Chitungwiza Unit M, N, A, Zengeza 4 and Manyame, forcing the provincial emergency services and rescue sub-committee to make assessments and recommend possible action.
More than 30 families were affected when their homes were flooded by heavy rains that hit Gweru last month, forcing the council to offer them temporary shelter.
Crops and property running into thousands of dollars were destroyed or damaged when houses in Montrose, Mtapa, Woodlands and parts of Nashville in Gweru were flooded.
Rain-triggered disasters also led to the destruction of several homes and other vital infrastructure in a number of areas dotted around the country.
There have been numerous reports of homes having been demolished, crops destroyed and roads swept away due to the incessant rains received in the country.
Informal settlements that have mushroomed in and around major cities and towns, many of them located on wetlands and river banks, are the hardest hit.
These settlements have no requisite water and sanitation facilities. In addition, they do not have proper and functioning drainage systems.
Government and local authorities still face an uphill battle to regularise the settlements and set up proper infrastructure due to sticky issues such as corruption and land barons, lack of expertise and the general lack of resources to undertake such capital intensive projects.
The Herald
