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The rainy season should start four months from now.
For us, this period tends to present health-related challenges. The challenges are direst in unplanned, squalid conditions as parasites naturally thrive in dirt and disorder. We see this in crowded urban set ups all the time.
Around 18,000 people have been living at Chingwizi, Masvingo since February; a temporary holding facility that, from time to time, has made negative headlines over the six months. The people, who were uprooted from their homes by flooding on the Tokwe-Mukorsi basin, have struggled for food, shelter, ablution facilities and the decency of humanity. A few weeks ago, we were shocked to learn that there had been an outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases there, as idle minds apparently sought to entertain themselves in risky ways.
Last week, law enforcement agents fired teargas to quell a demonstration that was sparked, allegedly, by efforts by government officials to pull down a clinic serving people at the camp. Before this clash, they had also reportedly had a harsh exchange of words with some senior government officials. This presents a new, regrettable dimension to the challenge posed by Chingwizi.
The 3,500 families are demanding that government gives them monetary compensation and pieces of land whose acreage they agreed with authorities before they were forced out of their homes by floods. It is estimated that the cumulative compensation is around $9 million for all the displaced.
Head of epidemiology and disease control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Portia Manangazira, highlighted the possible health implications of the continued inhabitation of the camp by so many people, expressing fears of a bigger challenge when the wet season begins.
“That is a temporary set-up which we would want to remain as temporary as possible,” she told our sister paper, Sunday News. “We are worried with the situation at the camp and as the health ministry our wish is that these people be resettled as a matter of urgency.
“So far about 500 families have been moved and resettled, which leaves about 2,500 families still staying at the camp. Although we are happy with the movement, the remaining number is still worrying. There are still serious health concerns, especially when one considers that the rainy season is about to start.
She added: “We are looking at an estimated population of about 18,000 people, relying on less than 400 toilets. That ratio alone is a serious concern and forces some of the people to resort to open defecation, which, in that kind of a set up, will obviously expose people to diseases such as diarrhoea. We would want these people to have access to proper sanitation facilities as soon as possible and that cannot happen as long as they remain settled at the camp.”
The government is seized with this matter, which has been a consistent agenda item at a number of ruling party politburo meetings.
This assures us and the residents at Chingwizi that authorities have them in mind. However, the reason why we have not seen much action in terms of relocation is lack of money. Only 500 have voluntarily moved out of the area to their new plots, but the majority is still there.
Our appeal goes to both – the government and the 18,000 at the camp.
To the government, we appeal for a speedier relocation of the people from that place. It is not a secret that the government is struggling for money. It is also known that government wants the residents to return to normal lives but we have a humanitarian emergency down there.
It appears that government has failed to convince the people to move out before compensation is availed, so we urge authorities to move with speed to raise the money.
It must be acknowledged that the families lost everything they had to the flood waters, so for them to start building new homes without the payouts would be difficult.
At the same time, we appeal to the government to give the families the size of land it pledged initially. It is a bit difficult for us to urge the residents to be more patient, having already lived in tents, sometimes going with inadequate food, for six months.
But we call for restraint. Engaging in violence and disorderly conduct that provokes law enforcers is discouraged. It is very possible to make a point strongly in a peaceful manner. We hope that when the rainy season starts, Chingwizi would be empty and people would be on their new plots starting to rebuild their lives, happily.
derick.khumalo