Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Rori Marondera Correspondent
Over 60 000 hectares of pastures and vegetation have been destroyed by veld fires in Mashonaland East Province since the beginning of the 2017 fire season. In a speech read on his behalf by the director of affairs in his office, Mr Muchemwa Mugwisi, in a meeting with the National Ministerial Committee on fire last week, Minister of State for Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs Retired Brigadier-General Ambrose Mutinhiri said veld fires had become a perennial environmental challenge.
“The national inter-ministerial fire committee has come to Mashonaland East at the most appropriate time, when the fire season is at its peak and the province has regrettably 62 156 ha of pastures and vegetation already affected by 254 veld fire incidences in 2017. Despite a number of intervention measures put in place such as raising awareness on fire issues to communities at risk and capacitating farmers to put fire preventative measures in place, as well as prosecuting some of the veld fire offenders, the fire continues to be a threat to the province. In 2017 fire season alone, 10 huts, one lorry, five tonnes of maize, 19 goats and 32 chickens and some irrigation pipes, to mention but a few, have already been lost to veld fires throughout the province,” he said.
Rtd Brig-Gen Mutinhiri said if veld fires remained unchecked they could reverse the gains of Government’s Command Agriculture programme.
“My worry is that as a province we risk losing our valuable pastures, agricultural produce and precious human lives if we do not seriously analyse the real causes of veld fires and offer appropriate solutions. Veld fires do not only affect the environment sector, but agricultural and economic sectors also get affected when agricultural produce and production infrastructure is burnt. We do not need foreigners to come and proffer solutions for us, but we need home grown solutions for this fire menace,” he said.
According to a report presented in the meeting, Mashonaland East is among the top three provinces affected by veld fires, with four districts namely, Chikomba, Seke, Marondera and Goromonzi leading in outbreaks.
“There was generally a decrease in area burnt annually from 2013 to 2015, but, however, in 2016 area burnt increased and it’s most likely that area burnt in 2017 fire season will surpass area burnt in 2016. Land clearing and hunting using fire remain the major causes of veld fires in resettlement areas. Major challenges in curbing veld fires are low prioritisation given to fire guard by farmers, illegal settlers who start fires, inadequate responses to veld fires and limited capacity by EMA to monitor fire guard construction and to investigate all veld fire incidences,” said Rtd Brig-Gen Mutinhiri.
Delivering a ministerial statement last week, Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah-Muchinguri-Kashiri blamed negative attitude and lack of behaviour change by some people and said one million hectares of land were destroyed by fire every year. She said her ministry launched the Command Veld Fire Management Programme as a strategy to prevent veld fires and urged Parliament and traditional leaders to engage to reduce veld fires.
Online Reporter