This past few years will go down in history as the era in which the rains shook the core of Manicaland’s socio-economy.
Due to climate change, the weather conditions, not only in Manicaland but Zimbabwe at large, have been erratic over the last few years, alternating between flash floods and dry spells.
In 2019, Cyclone Idai ravaged parts of Chimanimani and Chipinge, leaving a trail of destruction that Manicaland folk will have to leave with for a very long time, especially as some of their loved ones perished during those few stormy hours.
A year later, groundwater in some parts of the province, particularly Buhera, disappeared fast due to poor rains, leaving rural communities thirsty as most water sources dried up.
Fast forward to this year and Manicaland has endured the brunt of Tropical Storms Chalene and Eloise, as well as several flash floods that have left hundreds of people stranded after their houses and household goods were destroyed.
While these are long gone -at least for now — it is without doubt that somewhere far away, another wild weather phenomenon is brewing in the belly of the earth or far off at sea.
This is because natural weather conditions are unavoidable. However, the effects of extreme weather conditions are avoidable.
With the increase in the occurrence of extreme weather conditions across the globe due to global warming, there is need for proper mitigation frameworks.
A good starting point would be unclogging the province’s blocked drainage systems as these are encouraging urban flash floods like the ones recently witnessed in Mutare.
Relocation of the people in flood prone areas must also be prioritised. Currently, the residents in low-lying areas comfortably remain in their houses, waiting to be evacuated when the need arises. Those who built houses on urban wetlands continue to watch as the water levels rise while disturbing news filtering from Chipinge is that several families are drenched in muddy puddles as the rains seep into their houses.
All this comes after the Meteorological Services Department forecast a normal to above normal rainfall this season, which has seen some parts of the province experiencing flashfloods and mudslides.
Manicaland has been here before, armed with such vital information, doing nothing about it and then suffering the consequences.
Despite the early warning systems that are in place, residents in some flood-prone areas in Manicaland are always taken by surprise when floods hit. Yet through meteorology, the human race is gifted with skills to study air masses and predict weather patterns with some degree of accuracy so as to mitigate the effects of any harsh weather condition.
Thanks to technology that allows prediction of weather conditions almost a year in advance through supercomputers, we do not suddenly wake up to find ourselves in the midst of a storm or cyclone; we know in advance.
But that knowledge is only valuable when we use it to our advantage as we plan for the morrow.
And if the trends in recent years are anything to go by, weather patterns have shifted for the worst and we cannot afford to continue falling into the same trap over and over again. We are going to be experiencing more flash floods and more dry spells, that is the sad reality. Manicaland cannot be a knowledgeable casualty.
The province needs to properly plan for any undesirable eventualities.
The Civil Protection Unit (CPU), which is mandated to execute the very noble task of disaster management, has been doing a lot in preparing for such disasters.
When Tropical Storm Chalene was beckoning, residents in low-lying areas were evacuated from their homes hours before the storm hit.
However, the people of Manicaland are not doing enough to complement Government’s efforts. This has seen some of the people in Chipinge and Chimanimani’s low-lying areas resisting relocation to safer places despite the perennial risk they face in light of the constant floods. This endangers their lives and points to a lack of proper awareness around this subject.
Government therefore needs to be proactive in ensuring that communities embrace the role they need to play in building up resilience to withstand the adverse effects of climate change.