Cyclone disaster a wake-up call, says EMA

Manicaland Correspondent
The Environment Management Agency (EMA) has said Cyclone Idai has brought to the fore the serious impact that human activities have had on weakening the ecosystem and a need to put in place mechanisms to curtail the destructive activities.

EMA Manicaland provincial manager Mr Kingston Chitotombe said activities have to be monitored to lessen the destruction in case of disasters such as the one that hit Chimanimani.

“Taking into account the damage we witnessed in Chimanimani, it was a wake-up call to engage all protocols from local to political levels to monitor settlements and cutting down of trees,” he said.

“We have people who resettled themselves without Government’s permission. They have been cutting down trees and starting fires on land and this has led to the weakening of the ecosystems so that when natural disasters occur the environment will be destroyed beyond repair.”

Mr Chitotombe said the cutting down of trees for curing tobacco was also a major challenge that the province was facing.

Government, he said, needed to partner with citizens and the private sector to ensure there are systems to protect the environment in place.

“The truth of the matter is that Government cannot go it alone in such circumstances, mainly because the demands of the disaster are far reaching and need more resources to ensure everyone is safe, thus the need for everyone’s contribution,” he said.

“We have to minimise the possibility of complete destruction when disasters occur.”