Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
ENVIRONMENT, Climate and Wildlife Minister, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, has ordered the development of a fully funded national preparedness plan, warning that forecasts point to a potentially devastating El Niño event that could surpass recent droughts.
Minister Ndlovu also directed her ministry to develop a fully costed action plan, complete with timelines, budget allocations, assigned responsibilities and early-warning triggers, to minimise the impact of the anticipated climate event.
The plan will form part of the Ministry’s 2027 Annual Plan, and is intended to ensure that Zimbabwe responds proactively to climate threats rather than waiting for disaster to strike.
Speaking during the official opening of the Ministry’s Review and Strategic Planning Workshop in Nyanga last Saturday, Minister Ndlovu said the country’s priority must be to convert climate forecasts into practical action capable of protecting lives, livelihoods and critical national resources.
She warned that seasonal forecasts point to an El Niño whose impact can rival some of the most severe droughts experienced in decades.
“The seasonal outlook tells us that we may be about to face an El Niño of a severity that, by some assessments, we have not seen in living memory.
“The country cannot afford to take the forecasts lightly, particularly as households are still recovering from the devastating effects of the 2023/24 drought,” she said.
Minister Ndlovu said Zimbabwe does not need to speculate about the consequences of a severe drought because the nation recently endured one of its worst climate shocks.
“We do not need to imagine what this means. We lived it in the 2023/24 season, when drought devastated crops, killed livestock and led to the declaration of a state of national disaster,” she said.
She said the forthcoming annual plan will prioritise climate adaptation measures, modernisation of weather observation systems, maintenance of forecasting infrastructure and the expansion of early-warning mechanisms.
She stressed that resilience-building requires a whole-of-society approach involving Government, development partners, local authorities, traditional leaders, academics, civil society organisations and communities.
“Government effort alone is not enough. The environmental and climate agenda requires collective action. Together, we can mobilise resources, strengthen resilience and ensure that Zimbabweans derive sustainable benefits from our natural capital,” she said.
Minister Ndlovu said the coming agricultural season could become a critical test of the country’s preparedness and ability to turn climate information into life-saving interventions.
“If the coming season is worse, as the forecasts warn, the consequences will be graver because our households have not yet fully recovered,” she cautioned.
Dr Ndlovu tasked the Meteorological Services Department with ensuring that forecasts reach communities in a form that can be easily understood and acted upon.
“The value of a forecast lies in whether it reaches the farmer, the district administrator, the water manager and the civil protection committee in time and in a language they can act upon,” she said.
“I expect our Meteorological Services Department to move beyond issuing forecasts to delivering impact-based, localised and last-mile early warnings, with regular updates throughout the season.”
She stressed that climate information should not merely describe risks, but should actively guide decisions before adverse conditions occur.
She called for farmers to receive agro-meteorological advisories before planting begins to help them choose suitable crops, determine the best planting windows and adopt climate-smart farming practices.
Among the strategies she highlighted were Pfumvudza/Intwasa, conservation agriculture, water harvesting and the production of drought-tolerant small grains.
“Climate information is of no use if it does not shape decisions,” she said.
Minister Ndlovu added that food security plans should include grain reserve management, livestock off-take programmes, stock-feed strategies and social protection mechanisms to cushion vulnerable households.
The country, she said, must abandon the culture of reacting only after a disaster has already unfolded.
“Food security planning, including grain reserves, livestock off-take and feed strategies, and social protection, must be anchored in climate data, with anticipatory action triggered by forecasts rather than by disaster declarations after the fact,” she said.
The minister warned that water security can emerge as one of the biggest challenges if drought conditions intensify.
Declining water tables, shrinking dams and the degradation of wetlands could place enormous pressure on communities, agriculture and industry.
She noted that the previous drought significantly reduced water levels in major reservoirs, affecting drinking water supplies, irrigation schemes and hydro-electric power generation.
Many rural families, she said, were forced to sell assets or endure hunger as conditions worsened.
“I call for coordinated water allocation, irrigation scheduling and drought contingency planning, with drinking water and public health given priority,” said Dr Ndlovu.
“Wetland protection is no longer an environmental nicety. It is water security and food security.”
Dr Ndlovu warned that prolonged drought often increases the frequency of veld fires, accelerates deforestation as communities turn to firewood and charcoal for survival, and intensifies competition for scarce water and grazing resources.
She said authorities must also prepare for increased human-wildlife conflict as animals venture closer to communities in search of water and food.
The minister called for proactive measures, including water provisioning for wildlife, community early-warning systems and effective compensation and response mechanisms for affected households.
Government moves to avert drought crisis
