HWANGE- Villagers of Nemananga ward in Jambezi have been barred from farming in the Lukunguni vlei by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) through their chief who cited disruption to biodiversity and species migration along the vlei which had been a habitat for a variety of species before human interference.
A vlei is low-lying, marshy ground, covered with water which collects during the rainy season. At the behest of EMA, Chief Shana gathered his subjects from Sibilinda and Siamwele villages and asked them to pull down all the structures which they had erected on the vlei. He highlighted that Lukunguni valley is a natural waterway which should not be tampered with. The chief who was accompanied by personnel from EMA, emphatically warned villagers against doing any farming activities on the vlei.
“‘ The vlei is a natural waterway. I wonder why our people have decided to besiege the valley for farming. Such lands need your protection because they help to recharge underground water. I am therefore appealing to you to stop farming in the vlei forthwith,” said chief Shana, much to the chagrin of some of his subjects who however maintain high regard for their Chief as attested to by their compliance. He added that anyone who dared to till the land in question would face the full wrath of the law. “Villagers besieged Lukunguni vlei on account of its fertile clay soil as they hoped to secure bumper harvests in the seasonal waterway. The move was a depature from working the Kalahari soils which they had been tilling since time immemorial that have lost a great deal of fertility rendered the soils incapacitated as far as supporting flora and fauna is concerned.
We descended on the valley because the soil is fertile and ideal for farming. We farmed in the valley for two seasons and had better yields compared to the reddish soils which have lost fertility over time in our traditional fields. I respect the decision by EMA that has been relayed to us by the Chief but it is my hope that one day our leaders can revisit the issue and allow us to plough along the valley in order to avert food insecurity in the ward,” said a villager from BH83 who identified himself as Mike Masuku.
Lukunguni vlei is a seasonal waterway which stretches from Victoria Falls airport, BH10, Ndlovu and Jambezi areas to the Zambezi confluence with Deka River in Chezya. The soil in the waterway is predominantly clay and a lot of grass and bird species once flourished before people began to clear forests for agriculture and this attracted the attention of EMA who promptly accosted the chief to redress the situation.
One villager pointed out that banning villagers from tilling the vlei was long overdue.
” The stance taken by the environmentalists and the chief is a noble one. I am almost fifty years old now and since I was born the vlei has been a respected waterway. Our elders were cutting thatching grass from the valley and the grass also provided fodder for our livestock. The move was indeed superb because there is need to protect wetlands at all costs,” observed Mr Ketani Ncube a Mazhanga villager.
Headman, Simon Chabwa Mazhanga urged villagers to comply with the order or risk paying a substantial penalty in he form of a fine.
“Everyone should take the decision pronounced by the chief seriously. A heavy fine shall be imposed on those who will defy the order. I will not hesitate to apprise the chief on any mischief on the vlei,” warned the headmen.
An investigation carried out by Community Podium in Nemananga Ward revealed that residents have largely heeded the call as they have stopped all agricultural activities in the vlei in complete compliance with the order delivered to them by their traditional leader. All residents have reverted to their traditional fields which they wanted to abandone due to poor soil fertility.
Zimbabwe is a signatory to the 1971 Ransar Convention on Wetlands which gives the country an obligation to conserve wetlands that act as sponges that store water and act as flood controllers and carbon sinks that purify and supply water to water sources such as streams and dams. ReplyForward
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