adminLovemore Kadzura Rusape Correspondent
MACHEKE sub-catchment has embarked on a massive de-siltation of rivers and dams in Marondera, Makoni, Nyazura, Macheke, Headlands and Rusape. The move is meant to improve the water levels in reservoirs. Work has already begun in Nyazura, Macheke, Headlands and Rusape rivers.
The catchment council got the ball rolling by holding awareness campaigns to educate water users on its role in water preservation and the de-siltation programmes.
The awareness campaigns were necessitated by a realisation that sub-catchment employees were having difficulties in executing their legal mandate as most people, especially resettled farmers, were not aware of their role.
Head of the Macheke sub-catchment office, Engineer Matthias Tapfuma, said the de-siltation exercise would be a timely boost to farmers as they would have enough water for irrigation purposes, adding that the major cause of siltation was stream bank cultivation.
“After realising that a number of rivers and dams are under threat from the effects of stream- bank cultivation and other poor farming methods, Macheke sub-catchment then identified the most critically affected ones and started working on them to rectify the siltation problem,” he said. “We are working on dams and rivers in Makoni and Macheke areas. The removal of sand and other alien materials in rivers and dams will ultimately lead to them filling up again, so farmers, both commercial and subsistence, must avoid stream bank cultivation.
“We are also removing all gardens that are placed less than 30 metres from streams. A lot of people are not aware of the functions and roles of sub-catchments, so we started with awareness campaigns in which we are engaging all water consumers.
“The process is being led by our chairperson, Mrs Sheba Mashingaidze. The response has been very encouraging in the areas that we have covered.”
Eng Tapfuma said they had been facing challenges with farmers and communities who denied them access to dams.
“We visit dams to repair, maintain and measure levels and usage of water,” he said. “We are also mandated by an Act of Parliament to levy all water users a nominal fee that they can afford and must pay.”
Sub-catchments fall under the Water Act Chapter 20.24 and their functions include regulating and supervising the issuance of water permits, monitor water flows, collecting rates and fees, among other statutory responsibilities.
Online Reporter