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The Zimbabwe Meteorological Services Department recently issued a warning of possible floods in the area.
The floods alert was issued after a wet spell experienced in the area and neighbouring Mozambique.
Kanyemba is in the Mbire district, while most parts of Muzarabani are also under threat from the floods.
The villagers acknowledge the flood threats, but are more worried about the food situation and continue to grow their crops in the flood plains.
They said they faced a shortage of farming land and have no choice but to plant their crops along river banks.
In an interview last week, Mbire District Ward 1 councillor Cde Christmas Day Kachasu expressed concern at the situation, saying the floods could expose the villagers to serious food shortages.
“There are 1 040 families in the area according to the last census and most of these people survive on subsistence farming,” he said. “There is, however, a serious shortage of agricultural land and we are forced to plant our crops along the river banks.”
Cde Kachasu said most of the villagers used to stay near river banks, but have since moved to upper ground after a series of floods in previous years.
“There are, however, more than 400 families still living along the flood pans and this could spell disaster if the area is hit by the floods,” he said.
Cde Kachasu said the main challenge for the families living along the river banks was food security.
“These people live under very difficult circumstances,” he said.
“Right now those tending to their crops along the river banks have to bring everything down to the river because the chicken would be eaten by wild animals while the same wild animals can destroy the crops in a short period of time.”
A villager, Mr Diamond Chatsatu bemoaned lack of Government support for agricultural activities in the area. “Our lives are difficult. We need to look after our fields, but still we lose everything to natural disasters,” he said. “Our crops can be destroyed by wild animals and even our livestock can also be destroyed.”
Mr Chatsatu said poor soils affected agriculture and they had no choice but to grow crops on flood plains that were fertile.
“As you can see, the crops in the flood plains are rich and we are struggling with the other crops,” he said. “We can only pray that we are spared from the floods so that we harvest some of the crops but it’s a desperate situation.”
Other villagers said they had no choice, but to find some ways to look for other sources of food.
A greater part of Mbire District is serviced by one tractor which barely covers all farmers.
It is also difficult for the families to rear cattle for tillage purposes as they succumb to animal diseases associated with being near a game reserve.
The Zambezi River Authority recently opened one floodgate at the Kariba Dam, posing a danger of floods in Mbire and Muzarabani districts downstream the Zambezi River.
An increase in rainfall activities also threatens the area, with water from Cabora Bassa Dam in Mozambique being pushed upstream.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter