admin
Cletus Mushanawani Mash Central Bureau Chief
MASHONALAND Central does not have a single functioning fire tender, leaving it vulnerable to major disasters. This emerged during a recent all stakeholders meeting organised by the Environmental Management Agency in Bindura, where stakeholders called for an urgent address of the situation as the province relies on fire tenders from Harare in the event of a fire outbreak.
Acting Mashonaland Central provincial development coordinator Mr Cosmas Chiringa said the Provincial Civil Protection Committee (PCPC) had brought the issue to the attention of the national office.
“It is worrisome to note that the whole province does not have a single functional fire tender, leaving it vulnerable. When a fire breaks out, we have to summon fire tenders from Harare to attend to the incident. Our provincial capital, Bindura does not have one and this also applies to all the local authorities in this province.
“We have been calling on them to have fire tenders in place, but they all cite financial challenges and this is unacceptable because one day disaster will strike and we will be found wanting. With veld fires wreaking havoc across the country, one day we will lose lives and property if the situation is not urgently addressed,” he said.
A lecturer at Bindura University of Science Education’s Environmental Science Department, Professor George Nyamadzawo, said human lives and property have been lost in the past because of lack of fire tenders in the province.
“We have been carrying out a research in the causes of veld fires in the province and we were shocked to discover that the whole province does not have a single fire tender despite it being ranked high among provinces where veld fires occur every year.
“The province is grappling with challenges of lack of proper firefighting equipment and does not have trained personnel to deal with fire outbreaks. In some cases firefighting committees are in place, but they are not resourced to fight any outbreaks.”
He added: “As a province, we need to improve our capacity in firefighting techniques. Each district should have at least a single fire tender in place since we are a farming province where cases of veld fires are rampant especially in resettled areas.
“We discovered that most people in resettlement areas are not putting up fireguards around their farms.”
Prof Nyamadzawo called for the availing of more resources for the establishment of fire danger rating signs in all districts.
“We were involved in the setting up of fire danger rating sings across the country, but the project was stalled because of lack of resources. Some of the signs were either destroyed by fires or vandalised. Each district should have at least 10 of these fire danger rating signs,” he said.
Online Reporter