The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
MATABELELAND provinces are at high risk of veld fires this year with farmers and communities being urged to be proactive by putting fire preventative measures to protect farming yields, environment and property.
In a statement, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) environment and publicity manager Mrs Amukela Sidange said people must be on high alert.
“The provinces at extreme risk are Mashonaland West, East, Central, and Manicaland while Matabeleland provinces, Midlands and Masvingo provinces are this time at high risk of veld fires. As such, this calls for farmers and all land users as well and communities to be proactive by putting in place preventative measures to protect the abundant yield, environment, lives and property. Some fire preventative measures include putting in place standard fireguards and reducing fuel load through hay baling and thatch grass combing. By so doing, the country will be putting necessary safeguards around its food security, lives and the environment at large,” she said.
Mrs Sidange said preventive measures must be taken before the rangeland dries up and the weather becomes windy and hot. She said EMA is also going on an intensive education and awareness raising programme to sensitise communities in fire prone areas on veld fire prevention.
The agency is aimed at achieving a 25 percent target reduction in land lost to veld fires in 2021 in line with the dictates of the National Development Strategy (NDS1) on reduction of land burnt by veld fires.
“Achieving this calls for all stakeholders to use the 2021 veld fire risk projection given as a planning tool towards finding lasting solutions in veld fire prevention, and also for the same stakeholders to collaborate and perpetuate the same vision of attaining zero tolerance to veld fires status in 2021 and beyond,” she said.
Veld fires remain a major environmental and socio-economic threat to Zimbabwe as the country continues to lose considerable amounts of land to veld fires each year. Over the years, the country has been losing over a million hectares of land every year, except notably in 2020 when only 806 457.8 hectares were lost translating to a 30.38 percent positive decrease from the 2019 season.
@NyembeziMu
