The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has embarked on an extensive education and awareness programme to sensitize communities on veld fire management, after its risk prediction studies indicated that 89% of the country was at high to extreme high risk of infernos.
In a statement, EMA Environmental Education and Publicity Manager Ms Amkela Sidange said the increase of 55% in the veld fire risk levels is attributable to an increase in bio-mass, itself a result of the heavy rains experienced around the country.
“Following the normal to above normal rains Zimbabwe received in the 2020/21 rainy season, there has been a significant record increase in biomass across the country. To that effect, veld fire risk prediction for 2021 recently done by Environmental Management Agency (EMA) using satellite imaging, shows that about 89% of the country is lying in the high to extreme high risk to veld fires, compared to a meagre 34% in 2020, meaning that even areas that are traditionally not prone to veld fires are at risk this year.
“As such, the Agency has embarked on an extensive education and awareness programme to sensitize communities on veld fire management in an effort to prevent fires and protect lives, property and the environment; and most importantly the bumper harvest the country is looking forward to during this 2020/21 farming season,” she said.
Ms Sidange said teams made up of EMA officers are on the ground working with relevant stakeholders in sensitizing communities on veld fire management. The programme is targeting both farm and village level so as to reach out to all land owners and users.
“The thrust of the programme is to build capacity among farmers, landowners and users on fire management strategies such as fireguard construction, biomass reduction through hay baling and thatch grass harvesting; as well as training and equipping of fire committees. During the same programme, farmers, landowners and users are being served with Environmental protection orders, to remind and compel them to construct fire guards around their properties before the onset of the fire season. The clarion call to all farmers, land owners and users, is to take the advice given by technocrats and leaders, use it effectively towards putting in place all measures relevant in preventing veld fires, so that crops, pastures for livestock, property and lives are protected,” she said.
