LAST month the country experienced floods that left a trail of destruction amounting to thousands of dollars in losses and claimed at least 10 lives.
According to the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, about 200 families were displaced nationwide.
In the first week of the month more floods affected communities in Mashonaland West, East and Central and Midlands was the worst affected.
In Harare, areas such as Marlborough, Cold Comfort, Monavale and some parts of Hatfield bore the brunt of floods.
Sadly the damage and effects could have been prevented or somewhat mitigated, had we not overlooked natural ways of preventing incidences such as preserving wetlands.
As Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Wetlands Day, experts called for the preservation of wetlands.
The celebrations come at a time when Zimbabwe is becoming a ‘concrete jungle’ that is disregarding the wetlands which are being replaced by residential or commercial buildings.
Subsequently, built up areas in wetlands have prevented water from seeping into the ground resulting in flash floods.
The Monavale residential area and a service station in Westlea along Bulawayo Road have been built on wetlands and these areas experienced nasty floods that destroyed houses and swept away cars.
Dubbed ‘giant sponges’ and known as ‘matoro’ in Shona, wetlands are crucial in curbing floods as they catch rain water and prevent run off and flooding.
Speaking during the World Wetlands Day Symposium, Environment, Water and Climate Permanent Secretary, Prince Mupazviriho said the rate of wetland degradation in Zimbabwe is a cause for concern.
He said housing developments, especially in urban areas, excessive effluent discharge from industrial activities, urban agriculture, commercial water abstraction, unsustainable agricultural practices, overgrazing, illegal mining, veld fires and deforestation, among others, were retarding efforts at wetlands preservation.
Mupazviriho encouraged people to participate in conservation and wise use of wetlands.
“In order to reverse wetland degradation, there is need for everyone to participate in the conservation and wise use of wetlands,” he said.
“Massive pollution through the discharge of raw and partially treated sewage into wetlands has rendered our wetlands ‘wastelands’.”
Mupazviriho said it was important to strike a balance between meeting human need and sustaining biodiversity and other wetland services.
He said there must be policies that promote wetland sustainability and integrating wetlands into land use planning in order to avoid conflicts between stakeholders and local authorities.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 annually and this day embraces environmental actions and commitments by various stakeholders in environmental management with particular reference to wetlands.
The day marks the signing of the Treaty on the Conservation of Wetlands which was signed on February 2 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. The treaty came to be known as the Ramsar Convention and its aim is to raise public awareness on conservation, proper utilisation and management of wetlands and their resources.
The Ramsar Convention is an inter-governmental treaty whose mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world.”
Mana Pools in Chinhoyi, Driefontein Grasslands in Chivhu, Cleveland Dam, Lake Chivero and Manyame, Monavale Vlei and Victoria Falls have been declared Ramsar Sites in the country.
Wetland ecosystems are part of the natural wealth that provides the rapidly growing urban population with water cleaning services entirely free of charge, making a vital contribution to human health and wellbeing.
Benefits of wetlands include flood control and water flow regulation, groundwater replenishment and wat0er0 storage, sediment and nutrient retention and export, water purification, reservoirs of biodiversity, cultural values, recreation and tourism, climate change mitigation and adaptation.
This year’s World Wetlands Day was held under the theme: ‘Wetlands For Our Future-Join Us’.