Maravi

(HERALD) Find lasting solution to floods

Find lasting solution to floods

AT least three people have been killed in floods in Muzarabani this year, even though that part of Zimbabwe is known to be prone to flooding and is badly hit, even in lower rainfall years. The Civil Protection Unit does its work each year, and helps affected communities cope with flooded homes and the dangers of displacement. But we note that there are obviously better solutions.

Schools are turned into emergency accommodation, so obviously whoever builds these takes a good hard look at the terrain, asks around and then builds them in safe areas.

Surely, it should be possible to build homes on higher ground yet fairly close to the fields farmed by those regularly hit by floods?

The Muzarabani floods are not like the cyclone floods of the lowveld, occasional disasters. They are a common occurrence in that area.

We believe, especially with land reform, that it should be possible to effect other more permanent solutions.

For floods to occur within a few weeks of the start of a rainy season, runoff must be swift. That in turn suggests that trees and other dense vegetation has been stripped from far too many parts of Muzarabani, and other areas prone to flooding.

A more permanent solution might involve planting at least belts of forest, if whole forests cannot be restored, to hold the waters better.

This would not only ease the danger of flooding, but also ensure that more water is available in the dry seasons when so many need it.

Dams and weirs may also be required to control the floods, and again these will store water for the drier months.

These solutions probably require, in turn, that whole communities are resettled, although if they are given adequate priority there should be suitable land fairly close.

Zimbabwe has enough scientists to investigate this perennial problem and come up with solutions that will work.

Then they and planning officers can start a process that will end this annual scourge in the north of Mashonaland Central.

Flooding, like drought, is likely to become more common as Zimbabwe is ever more affected by global warming.

This will produce more extreme weather in the country. Rainfall will probably be less, on average, but intense periods of rainfall will be more likely.

The only effective way of combating these extremes will be to treat the land more carefully, planning housing better and using land in ways that do as little damage as possible to the natural ecologies.

We know that the natural Muzarabani ecology must have been able to cope with high rainfall.

Otherwise, over a few hundred years, the whole area would be turned into a rocky desert with no soil. It was not, so much of the problem must date from more recent times.

Many of Zimbabwe’s weather problems are man-made, and are usually the result of acute overcrowding and subsequent land degradation as a result of racial land policies of the colonial era.

Land reform has to do more than simply restore equity to land distribution. It must also be a tool to restore ecologies where necessary.

Labels: FLOODS, LAND REFORM, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 2:04 PM