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Fungai Lupande
Mashonaland Central Bureau
Mashonaland Central is experiencing a bad fire season, with 89 fire incidents having been recorded so far and over 126 630,54 hectares having been destroyed by fire across the whole province.
During the same period last year, 67 incidents were recorded while 96 967 hectares were lost to veld fires, indicating a 30 percent increase in hectares burnt in the province so far as the country approaches the mid-fire season.
The Environmental Management Agency’s environmental educationist and publicist officer for Mashonaland Central, Mr Maxwell Mupotsa said the situation could have been worse had it not been for the fluctuating temperatures, and stakeholder and community interventions.
The fire season, which traditionally ran from July 31 to October 31, has been changed to between July 1 and November 30 due to changes in seasonal and weather patterns caused by climate change.
“Although no lives have been lost this year in the province, most of the fire incidents recorded so far were caused by farmers clearing their land and preparing their fields for the new farming season, poaching, and the burning of waste,” said Mr Mupotsa
He said awareness campaigns, training, and resuscitation of fire-fighting teams at village and ward levels were being conducted to capacitate grassroots structures.
Mr Mupotsa said under the GEF 6 program, communities in Mbire and Muzarabani were given fire-fighting equipment, which includes fire-resistant work suits, gloves, fire beaters, high-pressure knapsack sprayers, fire blower hats, and goggles.
Online Reporter