EMA issues fire warning
Victor Sibanda
VICTORIA FALLS- Zimbabwe’s impending fire season which spans from 31 July to 31 October has prompted authorities to warn members of the public against causing veld fires in order to avert hunger.
As the dry season draws closer the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) is placing emphasis on communities to do everything within their power to avoid veld fires.
” According to EMA statutes, veld fires in the country start on 31 July up to October.This is the veld fire period. During this period, communities should desist from causing fires. It is imperative that everyone should be alert and do pre-fire suppression activities such as making fireguards, controlled burning, reducing biomass, among other measures,” said an EMA official who chose to remain anonymous adding that this year’s theme encourages communities to stop veld fires so as to avert hunger. This year’s theme is ‘Veld Fires, a Food Security threat- Protect the Harvest’.
According to EMA, communities lose property and human lives due to fires that are mostly caused by human actions. The agency states that in 2021, 1 million hectares of land were destroyed while eight people lost their lives due to veld fires.
” In the event that people fail to prevent veld fires, all their hard earned crops and livestock can be destroyed leading to poverty and this could dampen the country’s goal of achieving an upper middle class by 2030. Let’s protect the environment and our properties,” said the EMA officer.
An environmentalist with a non- governmental organization in Victoria Falls, Mr Pride Ncube said the main drivers of veld fires were human beings. “The main cause of veld fires are people through their activities during land preparation, poaching, brick moulding, wood poaching, honey harvesting and recklessness. Communities are called upon to be on guard against people who cause veld fires and these must be brought to book. Grasslands and forests are destroyed leading to climate change and global warming,” said Ncube.
Farmers in the resettlement areas said they have formed veld fire committees in their neighborhoods so that all perpetrators are made to account.
” We are worried by people who cause fires each year which has resulted in loss of pasture for our livestock and destruction of property. We have established a committee to educate residents on the benefits of preventing veld fires. We work in tandem with traditional leaders and EMA. Offenders are penalised,” said Philip Mathe from Mubiya Resettlement near Victoria Falls.
EMA has empowered traditional leaders through the Traditional Leaders Act to sentence veld fire offenders to a fine of five head of cattle to deter would-be offenders.
Efforts to get a comment from Chief Shana of Jambezi were fruitless. However, one of the senior village heads, Dubani Ndlovu from Silibinda village 2 under the chief’s jurisdiction confirmed that a number of community members in Jambezi have either been fined or cautioned for offences related to veld fires.
” Our chief is strict on environmental issues especially veld fires. A number of villagers have been arraigned in the chief’s court where they have been sentenced albeit moderately,” said the traditional leader. The village head said most veld fires in Jambezi were a result of failure to guard against fire in the fields and at homes, wood harvesting and naughty individuals.
Environmental degradation in communities is largely as a result of veld fires destroying both fauna and flora thereby exposing soil or land to severe overland flow and erosion. In order to curb the impact of veld fires on the environment, EMA as a statutory body was established as a watch dog against environmental harm in 2002 under the Environmental Management Act( Chapter 20:27).
