TODAY, February 2, is World Wetlands Day and the theme ‘Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future’ is appropriate, considering the jeopardy which Zimbabwe’s urban wetlands face.
With many residential and commercial properties currently built on wetlands because of the disregard by local authorities for environmental laws and urban plans, it is imperative that the country prioritise the protection of this vital resource and ensure the wetlands’ sustainable utilisation.
Zimbabwe’s wetland state currently shows that only 20 percent of this resource is in a fairly good state while the rest need rehabilitation. Wetlands constitute two percent of the total land in the country and their decimation will be costly.
The Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands approved ‘Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future’ as the theme for World Wetlands Day 2018.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year to mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided outreach materials to help raise public awareness on the importance and value of wetlands.
Zimbabwe’s efforts to protect wetlands have been notable with the recent one being that of the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa who launched the Kasasa project.
The First Lady, who is also ZANU PF deputy secretary for environment, planted a water berry tree at the wetland between Longcheng Plaza and the National Sports Stadium in Harare to mark the beginning of the project that will be rolled out countrywide.
Mai Mnangagwa described wetlands as an important resource whose demise will make the nation poor.
“Wetlands have been threatened by urban development as pressure is exerted on them by housing and industrial growth and in Harare and Chitungwiza, developments have been happening at the heart of wetlands with adverse effect on the resource base itself,” said the First Lady.
“Globally, the value of wetlands was given as US$15 trillion in 1997. In the case of Zimbabwe, wetlands provide a wide range of critical goods and services. They provide biological diversity where they are a focal point for a wide range of flora and fauna species to flourish.
“Wetlands are, therefore, important ecosystems which provide various ecological goods and services. However, most of these wetlands, particularly in Harare and Chitungwiza, have been degraded due to infrastructural development and cultivation. This poses a danger to the communities because it compromises quality and quantity of available water.”
The Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, in her Ministry’s 100-day plan, calls for sustainable use of wetlands.
“To ensure sustainable development, we need to address challenging issue such as land degradation, illegal mining, pollution, wetland degradation, deforestation, climate change and ozone depletion,” Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
“I therefore call upon all to protect these wetlands that include rivers and dams. We should restrict any form of developments to take place in these areas.”
Speaking to The Patriot, Environmental Management Agency’s spokesperson Steady Kangata said there is need to preserve the wetlands in order for a good sustainable urban future.
“Once we protect the wetlands, the provision of water in the right quality and quantity is guaranteed. The urban setup is such that the provision of water depends on wetlands to purify water and provide it in the right quality and quantity,” Kangata said.
“Wetlands are all sources of rivers and streams. They help recharge underground water, rivers and streams. Their sponge-like effect purifies water into the right quality.”
Commenting on stream bank cultivation which has become rife as people try to complement their household food supplies evidenced by maize, groundnuts, potatoes and other crops grown in the urban areas, Kangata said the local authority has to ensure wetlands and other water are were protected.
“We discourage stream bank cultivation because of the chemicals used, which result in pollution of water sources and wetlands.
“We discourage stream bank cultivation and encourage people to approach the local authority for help so that they do not squeeze into the stream banks, hilltops, roads and wetlands.”
Harare City Council spokesperson Michael Chideme said the authority was committed to ensuring a sustainable urban future.
“We always participate during such events because we need to educate people against polluting our sources of water which are wetlands. This is the reason we try to make sure there is no stream bank cultivation because these destroy river systems and cause pollution,” Chideme said.
“Those interested in urban agriculture need to approach district offices so that they are allocated land in the correct places. We work with various communities like Borrowdale, Mukuvisi Woodlands and Cleveland Dam, among others, to help keep their wetlands intact.”
Professor Sara Feresu of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of Zimbabwe said as the country prepares Zimbabwe’s Co-operation Framework expected to be completed by the end of March this year, it is imperative that wetlands be a priority.
The country’s Co-operation Framework is a way in which the country looks for funding for environmental programmes and will be sponsored by the Africa China Co-operation Network together with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
As a member of the UN Environmental Assembly, implementation of key environmental projects critical to the country must be done.
Among the programmes identified are reversing land degradation, biogas projects, waste management, mining and gulley rehabilitation, among others.
“As Zimbabwe, wetlands should be a priority in the Country Co-operation Framework that the country is working on because they are drying up and we need to do something about it,” said Professor Feresu.