Floods declared state of disaster

Harare Bureau
President Mugabe has declared the flooding occurring in the past two weeks at Tokwe-Murkosi that is affecting more than 60,000 people downstream a state-of-disaster.The declaration would enable government to mobilise resources from its partners to assist affected families who have had their homes, food and other belongings swept away by the floods.

The declaration was announced by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo at a press conference in the capital yesterday.

Minister Chombo said water levels at the Tokwe-Murkosi Dam rapidly rose to 671 metres above sea level on Monday last week, creating a flood emergence that threatened close to 20,000 people in the basin.

“On February 4, the water level was five metres from overflowing thus extending the scope and extent of the emergency by threatening a further 40,000 people downstream. Heavy incessant rains are set to continue in the catchment,” he said.

“Given the magnitude of the threat to extensive flooding, His Excellency, the President Cde RG Mugabe has declared a State of disaster in regard to the basin of Tokwe-Murkosi Dam, and areas downstream as far as the Triangle area.”

Minister Chombo said the declaration was in terms of Section 27 of the Civil Protection Act (Chapter 10:06). He said communities downstream of Tokwe-Murkosi Dam, along Tokwe River and its tributaries were at risk due to floods and he urged them to take necessary precautions to avoid danger.

“They are required to immediately move to at least five kilometres from the river bank and seek higher ground,” he said. “Those in the river basin must continue to make their way to designated pick up points in their areas for ease in evacuation.”

Minister Chombo said a Cabinet Committee on Civil Protection was set to meet this morning to receive a comprehensive report before they head to Masvingo to make an assessment of the situation.

A visit by our Harare Bureau to Tokwe-Murkosi yesterday revealed that a humanitarian crisis was looming as Government was battling to evacuate over 2,200 families whose homes were submerged in the catchment area.

An Airforce of Zimbabwe helicopter was busy evacuating 46 marooned families in the flood basin. Hundreds of families have been braving rain and sleeping in the open for nearly a week at three transit camps together with their belongings, as Government struggles to translocate them to the Nuanetsi Ranch due to lack of resources. There are growing fears of disease outbreak and malnutrition owing to shortage of clean water and food.

A crippling food shortage has hit the three transit camps at Gunikuni, Zunga and Kushinga as more families continue to join in with the dam levels rising and encroaching into their homes.

Some families were using scotch-carts to carry their belongings to higher ground and had lost livestock, especially goats and cattle which were swept away by the floods. “We need help to rebuild our lives because most of our property was swept away by floods,” said Pauline Chipato a mother of two from Jahwa village.

“Government must do something to help us start again.”
Margaret Mudyazvivi of Zifunzi village said she lost all her household property and was left near destitute by the floods.
“I was not at home when I received a call from neighbours that my entire homestead was gradually getting submerged in water and when I rushed back I failed to salvage anything,” she said. “Items such as solar panels and beds were destroyed by the water and I have to start afresh.”

At Kushinga transit camp near Ngundu growth point soldiers and police were busy erecting tents for temporary shelter for hundreds of families.

Soldiers and police helped some of the families to move their property using tractors and scotch-carts, but villagers said the exercise was slow and cumbersome.

Masvingo provincial administrator and chairman of the Tokwe-Murkosi relocation co-ordinating committee Felix Chikovo said there were only 17 vehicles to carry out the evacuation.

“We need more trucks and we have already sent a request to Government for the trucks fleet to double to nearly 40,’’ he said.
Satellite schools and clinics were also being set up in the Chingwizi area in Nuanetsi Ranch were the families are being moved.

The Masvingo provincial administrator said Morgenster Mission had offered to give the families in transit camps one meal, while Lowveld sugarcane growing giant Tongaat Hullet promised to give each of the 2,200 families a 30kg bag of mealie meal, cooking oil and kapenta fish.

Tokwe-Murkosi dam is over 60 percent complete and water has been accumulating in the mega dam, whose flood area covers 9,600 hectares.

This comes as the Meteorogical Services Department said a deep and very active low pressure system that entered Zimbabwe rapidly on Thursday night was bringing more heavy rains in most parts of the country, further worsening the situation in most flood-prone parts.

The entire country faces days of heavy downpours and areas which have recorded high rainfalls included Gweru 82mm, Kezi 80mm, Kwekwe 73mm, Kadoma 69mm, Beitbridge 63mm, Marondera 58mm, Mount Darwin 49mm, 30 at Mhondoro, 29 at Mutoko, Matopos 28mm and Nyanga 27mm.

Several other parts of the country have been affected by floods and four people died when a Zupco bus plunged into Musavezi River along the Mhandamabwe-Shurugwi Road on Friday after a bridge was swept away by the rains.