The ManicaPost
Chipinge Correspondent—
VILLAGERS in low lying areas of Chipinge District are living in fear of floods as the area has been experiencing heavy downpours since last weekend.A check by The Manica Post on Tuesday revealed that more houses as well as crops were destroyed by the rains.
The most affected areas are along the Save River basin, which include Middle Sabi, Tongogara, Chibuwe, Gumira and Vheneka in Chipinge South.
In some areas such as Chibuwe in Ward 20 and Vheneka in Chipinge South, water is reportedly flowing into homes and fields.
Ward 20 councillor, Councillor Charles Mugidho, confirmed the development and said members of the District Civil Protection Unit were on the ground conducting flood awareness campaigns in prone areas.
“Floods may affect some of the areas since water levels in Save River are continuing to increase.
“Many houses were destroyed since last week. Starting this week on Monday some farmers at Musikavanhu Irrigation Schemes have been complaining of water flooding their fields. We are still visiting the communities affected together with members of Civil Protection Unit and assessing the extent of the damage caused by the rains,” he said.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union’s Chipinge District chairperson, Mr James Gabaza, decried the possibility of poor harvests if heavy rains continue falling.
“We are expecting a bumper harvest this year as many farmers received inputs from Government, but there is a possibility that heavy rains being experienced here may affect the yields.
“So far some of the maize crop has been affected by the heavy rains, while some farmers are failing to apply fertiliser and chemicals. The heavy downpours are not giving farmers any chance. In some irrigation schemes, farmers are failing to harvest their crops,” said Mr Gabaza.
It is not crops and houses that are being affected by the rains, but business has also been brought to a halt.
Many vendors are failing to display their wares at their traditional places, while local transporters are failing to service their routes as the roads are now impassable.
A vendor, Mr Jairos Simango, said his business was on its knees due to the heavy rains.
“There is no business being recorded here as people are staying indoors. We are incurring heavy losses since our business involves selling perishable fruits,” he said.
A transport operator, Mr Edmund Sithole, said they were forced to abandon their traditional routes due to the poor state of the roads.
