Chronicle Editor
Midlands Bureau Chief
SOME houses, including Government buildings and a section of the Gokwe-Chireya road, are teetering precariously on the edge of a massive gully developing at Gokwe Town Centre.
Cracks spider web across the Gokwe-Chireya road, a vital artery connecting the town to other districts such as Binga, are warning signs of the impending catastrophe if action is not taken swiftly. The newly constructed Gokwe Magistrates’ Court building, Government Complex and Zesa offices are also under threat.
Government reclaimed the gulley seven years ago.
In an interview, Gokwe South District Development Co-ordinator (DDC), Ms Netsai Mushauri, said there is a need to attend to the impending danger before disaster strikes.
“The gully continues to grow and is causing panic among Gokwe residents and they are now fearing for their lives and property,” she said.
Ms Mushauri said they have resorted to placing sandbags to temporarily stop the natural phenomenon from further spreading.
“The permanent solution is to reclaim it and that can only be done if the Zimbabwe National Water Authority diverts a water pipeline that has also been exposed as the gulley continues to deepen,” she said.
Ms Mushauri said a team of engineers was dispatched to the site to assess the situation.
“As a district, we are seized with the matter and working on a permanent solution. We already advised Zinwa to divert the water pipes and all road authorities have been mobilised to work on the gully once the water pipe is diverted” she said.
Residents, who use buildings at Gokwe Centre, are living in constant fear that the buildings might one day be swallowed by the earth.
A resident, Mr Tinashe Siziba, urged authorities to devise a solution.
“The gully has been developing rapidly and it should be reclaimed to prevent it from destroying infrastructure in Gokwe town. We are afraid that it will destroy our homes,” he said.
Online Reporter