A stich in time saves nine

 

Ray Bande
Senior Reporter

EFFECTIVE disaster management emphasises the importance of disaster risk reduction in protecting lives, ensuring economic stability, promoting sustainable development, and preserving the environment and adapting to climate change.

Preparation is key to minimising fear, anxiety, and losses associated with disasters.

Communities, families, and individuals must be equipped with the knowledge of what to do in emergency situations, such as severe storms, floods or fires.

 

Ideally, prevention measures are employed to eliminate or reduce the incidence of severity.

Few such measures include land use planning, preventing habitation in risk zones, disaster resistant buildings, finding ways to reduce risk even before the disaster strikes and community awareness and education.

In light of recent events in Chipinge District’s farming communities, disaster management and prevention mechanisms have become a pressing concern.

This newspaper reported last week that another devastating catastrophe is looming over Chipinge, where two dams at Newcastle Farm are on the brink of collapse, threatening the lives of over 400 households downstream.

This alarming situation follows closely on the heels of the recent tragic incident, which claimed the lives of seven children from the same area.

Regular inspections of dams are crucial to ensure public safety, environmental protection, and effective resource management.

 

These inspections help maintain the functionality of water infrastructure and prevent potential failures that could result in significant damage and loss of life.

As dams age, they become increasingly vulnerable to rare yet likely natural events like large floods and earthquakes.

 

Their outlets and spillways may suffer severe erosion, compromising the dam’s safety, while their foundations and embankments may develop seepage or stability issues.

In addition, many of these dams were constructed using less-stringent design criteria for low hazard potential dams due to the lack of development below the dam when it was first constructed.

However, with increasing population and greater development below dams, low hazard potential dams can change to high hazard potential dams.

Thus, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Honourable Vangelis Peter Haritatos, vowed to intensify efforts to ensure that farmers maintain their dams, with strict monitoring by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA).

“It is also in the same context that Government will now on put in place stern farm dam monitoring mechanisms through ZINWA countrywide. The maintenance of dams is every stakeholders’ responsibility. Our farmers must not shy away from ZINWA and Catchment Area personnel on this one. We are partners, hence the need to work together to ensure that our dams are safe for populations living near them,” he said.

In Chipinge, the two dams, which supply water to Lot Eight, Lot Nine, Lot 11, and Lot 12, are situated near the ill-fated Bandama Farm dam that breached recently, resulting in the loss of young lives.

No wonder, to avert another disaster, Deputy Minister Haritatos has ordered the relocation of villages downstream to safe places to save lives and avert possible disaster.

“It is sad and painful to lose lives in this way. It is against this background that we are now waiting for a detailed report on the state of dams in this district. Our guys are on it. The priority is to save lives and ensure that we do not go through this again. We actually have another dam in this area, which is showing signs of weakness, and we recommended that corrective measures be taken immediately.

“We have also given strict instructions to the District Development Coordinator to ensure that villagers staying in areas that are south of the dam be removed as a matter of urgency.

“That means finding alternative land for them, higher ground. We surely cannot sit and watch as lives are lost in disasters that are avoidable. Like I said, the priority is to save lives, much as we know and understand that being moved from one area to the other can be painful,” said Honourable Haritatos.

Manyaya Village head, Mr Tobias Sithole, whose area was affected by the tragedy, also noted the lack of maintenance of dams in the local farming communities.

“We regard this as a natural disaster caused by the dam’s poor maintenance. The dams were built in the early 1980s, and after resettlement, maintenance fell short of standards.”

While Honourable Haritatos mentioned one of the dams, Chipinge Rural District Council Ward Eight representative, Councillor Lazarus Dhliwayo confirmed that another dam in the same area faces a similar predicament.

“Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the rains, we only managed to visit one of the weakening dams, but there is another in the area which is also showing signs of weakness,” said Councillor Dhliwayo.

Suffice to say, dams in farming communities need to be regularly inspected and maintenance must never be left to chance.