More scuba divers needed in preparation for the rainy season

31 Oct, 2021 - 00:10 0 Views
More scuba divers needed in preparation for the rainy season

The Sunday News

Brighton Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
THE police Sub-Aqua Unit has set up two more stations in the country- in Zvishavane and Birchenough Bridge- as it gears up for possible cases of drowning in the coming rainy season.

Previously the unit had only two stations at Chikurubi in Harare and Fairbridge in Bulawayo, a situation that was compromising provision of its services across the country.

Speaking during a recent  Multi-Stakeholder Preparedness Planning Workshop for the 2021/22 rainy season that was held in Bulawayo, Assistant Commissioner Kenneth Thebe, however, said the unit was still facing serious shortage of skilled staff, hence the need to recruit and train more personnel.

“If we take into consideration the Zimbabwean population, we have a scenario where our scuba divers are members of our Sub-Aqua Unit are currently at a ratio of one diver for every 1 000, their ability to execute their duty is a challenge,” he said.

Asst Comm Thebe said the unit has  98 scuba divers, but only 37 of them were internationally recognised after receiving training from the Scuba Schools International (SSI) in Germany.

During last year’s rainy season, a lot of damage was experienced throughout the country due to excess rains.

Among areas that were affected included Chimanimani where 130 cattle were lost, 995 homes destroyed, 165 classrooms destroyed and 181 local points affected while in Matabeleland South 366 households were destroyed and in Matabeleland North 34 homes and 50 schools were destroyed and almost 200 people affected.

Apart from stations, police have also established three permanent bases in flood prone areas namely Mbire District in Mashonaland Central, Kariba and Binga.

The meeting was also attended by Civil Protection Unit representatives from all the country’s 10 provinces and officials from the Meteorological Services Departments, Veterinary Services and the Environmental Management Agency.

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