adminMercy Ngwebvu
THE generally swampy area of Nyamuenda in Nyanga is endowed with wetlands from which villagers have embarked on fish farming which is currently benefiting 178 households.
Speaking during a media tour held by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) last week, Nyanga District Environment Officer, Mr Daniel Manzou, expressed hope that fish farming at Nyamuenda will produce enough fish to feed other wetlands in the area, something which will see to the maximum utilisation of wetlands in Nyanga District.
“We started this project on February 5, and since then we have put 500 fish (the Kariba bream and Tillapia) into our ponds. As a way of keeping predators away, we cover the ponds with nets because when it is hot, the fish rise to the surface, but fall prey to birds which come and eat them, said Mr Manzou.
“Nyanga District has three other protected wetlands, Tawa, Mabemba and Bonda and they do not have fish yet. We are hoping that the Nyamuenda project will produce enough fish to feed these wetlands so that they are all put to good use.”
EMA provincial head for Manicaland, Mr Kingston Chitotombe said wetlands were important environmental assets whose sustainable management can go a long way in ensuring self sustenance within people.
“This fish project is one way of sustainably managing wetlands as well as benefiting from the natural resource. The Nyamuenda project was under threat from overgrazing and agricultural activities which were being carried out on it.
“Lately there have been a number of threats to the wetlands we have in Zimbabwe, for instance urbanisation which has resulted in these wetlands being turned into residential areas. While the ponds are a livelihood component on one hand, they are also a way of conserving the environment.
“Those who are preserving these wetlands should continue with the good work so that they continue to thrive as independent ecosystems.
“I just want to discourage people from clearing wetlands for agricultural purposes and alluvial mining as this affects them, especially the latter which results in chemical poisoning which comes from the mercury used in mining activities,” said Mr Chitotombe.
Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification, flood control, carbon sink and shoreline stability.
They are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life. Wetlands also occur naturally on every continent.
One of the Nyamuenda villagers, Mrs Sylivia Mukoto, said the wetland was a handy resource as it was a way of occupying those in the area as well as providing food for the quite impoverished people in the area.
“Most of the youths in this area are not employed and this fish project is helping them occupy themselves. Life is not really rosy this side and we are hopeful that we will generate income from this wetland as well as improve our nutrition as we will be having fish to eat too. I am now old and since the inception of the project, I have not been idle as I always come here to pass time,” she said.
Wetlands also act like sponges by holding flood waters and keeping rivers at normal levels. Wetlands filter and purify water as it flows through the wetland system. Plants found in wetlands help control water erosion.
To be called a wetland, an area must be filled or soaked with water at least part of the year. Some wetlands are actually dry at certain times of the year.
Wetlands are the link between land and water, and are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Depending on the type of wetland, it may be filled mostly with trees, grasses, shrubs or moss.
The Nyamuenda wetland, in Nyatondo Village has a total of 28 ponds and it covers an approximate area of 0,7 hectares.
The fish are fed fish pellets and pig manure using the tea bag system.
Online Reporter