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Tawanda Mangoma in Chiredzi
Government has been challenged to improve its disaster preparedness in flood-prone low-lying areas of Chiredzi District in southern Masvingo, amid fears that the newly-commissioned Tokwe-Mukosi Dam could spill during this rainy season. Tokwe-Mukosi is about 70 percent full and there are fears Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam will spill if Masvingo receives normal to above normal rains in the 2017/18 season as predicted by weather experts.

Chiredzi South Member of Parliament Retired Brigadier-General Kalisto Gwanesta yesterday said there were high possibilities that Tokwe-Mukosi Dam could spill, hence the need for pre-emptive preparedness measures to forestall disaster in downstream areas.

“After the little rains which fell upstream of Runde River recently, Chilonga Bridge that links Chiredzi and Chikombedzi is already impassable and this reminds Government of the need to improve its level of preparedness to avoid a humanitarian crisis once the rainy season reaches its peak,’’ he said.

“I am appealing to Government to make sure flood-prone areas in Chiredzi are supplied with sufficient stocks of drugs and food for those facing shortages.’’

Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa said the people of Chiredzi did not want a repeat of last year’s floods-induced humanitarian crisis that saw drugs being supplied to hospitals using helicopters after southern parts of Chiredzi were cut off from the whole country.

He said Tokwe-Mukosi Dam posed a flooding threat in southern Chiredzi.

“Tokwe-Mukosi is already around 70 percent full at the moment and if incessant rains fall in the dam’s vast catchment area, it will easily fill up and spill forcing its water to easily flood Runde River downstream,’’ said Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa.

“Weather experts have already predicted that we are going to have heavy rains just like last season, so the time to act and avert a humanitarian crisis in low-lying areas like Chiredzi is now.

Drugs for deadly diseases such as malaria must be stocked, together with life-saving jackets to rescue those who might be swept away by floods, we do not want a repeat of what happened last season.’’

Last year hundreds of families were left homeless in some parts of Chivi, Mwenezi and Chiredzi in Masvingo after their homes were swept away by raging waters from major rivers that burst their banks following heavy rains.

In Chiredzi, there were fears of a humanitarian crisis in the southern parts after the flooded Runde River submerged the low-lying Chilonga Bridge, cutting off the supply of medicines and food to flood victims in Chikombedzi and surrounding areas.

The Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe is still to fulfil its promise to construct a modern and bigger bridge at Chilonga at a cost of $14 million, to enable the movement of both humans and traffic from Chiredzi town to Chikombedzi.