admin
Beaven Dhliwayo Features Writer
With Harare’s population always increasing, most wetlands have been drained to pave way for development and a lot of them are still being drained today for purposes of settlement and industrialisation.
Those who have built houses in such areas have faced problems in the aftermath.
Wetlands, commonly known as swamps, filter water from pollutants.
They are a source of raw material for crafts making and habitats for birds and reptiles that not only act as tourist attractions, but also balance the ecosystem.
Many people living near wetlands use them for grazing, fishing, and water supply, among other activities.
A consequence of poor planning
While the rest of the country is celebrating the rains, those settled on wetlands are cursing them.
Susan (not her real name) was ecstatic about building her house in Budiriro, Harare, more so given the luck she had in acquiring the stand at a relatively cheaper price.
In 2012 she bought the stand through Teurai Ropa Cooperative and quickly erected a temporary structure.
She rushed to a contractor she knew and he gave her a house plan and bill of quantities.
Her joy was however, short-lived. The foundation of the house had weakened and water could easily seep in.
She sought expert advice from an architect who told her she had built on a wetland and as such, the foundation was not properly done.
Susan is among many other people out there who are suffering as a result of poor planning and building homes on wetlands.
Her neighbour, who built on a drainage in the designated swamp, complains of flooding around his house.
Efforts to divert the water are sometimes futile as the water overwhelms the barricades she built.
Budiriro Water Foundation secretary Claud Kaharo said the suburb’s wetlands had been invaded and it appeared people behind all that were the authorities.
“It’s the reason why no action is being taken against them. Laws are there to protect the environment, but they are not applied,” he said.
“As Budiriro Water Foundation, we have written to the city authorities so many times from 2018, but no action has been taken. The Constitution is clear about the need to protect the environment, and it’s unfortunate that those who are supposed to help it are at the forefront destroying it.
“Of all the correspondence sent to the City of Harare, none has been responded to, including letters to the town clerk and mayor.”
Harare Wetlands Trust project manager Selestino Chari told The Herald that other than the core area of Monavale Vlei, every remaining wetland in Harare is under cultivation.
“Those living on wetlands will experience their houses cracking from the expanding and contracting soils, rising dampness on interior and exterior walls, extra expenses to keep repairing and repainting, increase in illnesses caused by moulds, lung diseases from constant dampness, flooding both inside and outside houses and properties, boundary walls collapsing, a decline in the value of the house and property,” he said.
Chari said it was a poor investment all round to build on a wetland.
He said there was need to strengthen laws that protect wetlands.
“The legislation pertaining to wetlands needs to be strengthened as soon as possible, and be retrospective to prevent authorities from making wetlands available for sale,” said Chari.
The laws, he added, needed to be enforced.
The city and other authorities must enforce regulations on open space and wetlands cultivation.
“No headwater wetland ecosystems should be disturbed countrywide if we are to stop those wetlands being degraded and drying out, rivers running dry and flooding and siltation taking place,” said Chari.
Most weather disasters can be attributed to ecosystem degradation.
Development and cultivation on wetlands should be stopped by presidential decree, or Statutory Instruments outlawing these activities.
Furthermore, the Environmental Management Act should be amended to ensure wetlands are fully protected.
An increase in the population has fuelled demand for land, and as drier land ran out, people encroached on wetlands.
This has led to irregularities in land disposal, sidelining of environmental and planning laws, corruption and cartels, often with protection from politicians.
When questioned authorities say the land is now privately owned and nothing can be done about it.
Lack of enforcement of regulations is legitimising these processes, resulting in wetlands disappearing.
Comparative mapping from the past 20 years shows encroachment onto wetlands.
Groundwater commercial abstraction is another major threat. Many illegally drilled boreholes abound in the city.
Wetlands can and should be restored, and the missing link now is the will by authorities to fight to protect and preserve them.
Those already on wetlands, like Susan, should know that the soil in wetland areas is not the best for construction because its structure is weak and mostly made of clay.
What is more to this whole circus is the fact that many people do not realise that building on wetlands directly affects the natural flow of the environment by blocking the water passages which were naturally instituted by the free flow of the water.
Draining the swamps will not only block the natural water collection areas, but also lead to flooding as the water will seek a weak passage.
Wetlands are usually drainage areas, therefore, when they are misused, it causes flooding as the water table rises with water struggling to find passage.
Even worse, lacking clear designated destinations, the provisional channels constructed tend to fill up, and also lead to flooding.
Let’s all unite and protect the country’s wetlands.
Online Reporter