Villagers Face Tough Choices Of Saving Wetlands And Remain Thirsty

Hwange villagers fear the protection of the wetland may lead to them failing to access water totally. Image by The Citizen Bulletin

BY LETHOKUHLE NKOMO | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | MAR 2, 2022

In other parts of Zimbabwe, lack of appreciation of the importance of wetlands has resulted in their destruction through construction on wetlands, particularly in Hwange.

HWANGE (The Citizen Bulletin) — Without access to an improved water source, Kristina Gunda’s (43) days revolve around a walk for water: gathering enough to cook, clean, bathe and of course, drink.

After she digs a shallow well at the banks of a vlei at Lunkunkuni, Gunda has to wait a few hours before the water table rises and scoops enough water to fill her bucket.

But it’s not enough for the day to cook meals or wash dishes.

“We go to Lunkunkuni Vlei every day before sunrise to allow the livestock to have access to the water during the day,” Gunda says.

“We have been doing this for years now. We have no access to clean water yet we have excessive water bodies in our communities.”

Despite being situated near the Zambezi River, Lunkunkuni and Kalala wetlands, Hwange rural communities face difficulties in accessing clean water.

Gunda is among the villagers in Kachechete ward in Hwange West who face water challenges.

Kachechete ward has a population of 898 villagers and 156 households.

Kachechete ward councilor Givemore Moyo told this publication that the area has one functional borehole.

“We used to have three boreholes and two of them are no longer working. We are now appealing to well-wishers to assist us to drill other boreholes at different sites,” Moyo says.

Moyo says what is depressing is that they are situated near wetlands and some of the major water bodies in Hwange such as the Lunkunkuni Vlei that feeds into the mighty Zambezi River.

Hwange district Environmental Management Agency (EMA) technician Ntandoyenkosi Mayisa worries that wetlands will be destroyed as villagers desperately search for water.

Wetlands act as natural sponges absorbing rainfall, recharging aquifers, creating wide surface pools and reducing flooding.

Men looking at one of the holes dug by villagers at Lunkunkuni in search of water. Image by The Citizen Bulletin

“The wetlands also act as storage facilities and they also help to safeguard against drought and increase resilience against climate change hence there is a need for combined efforts in protecting the wetlands,” says Mayisa.

Experts say the protection of wetlands is one of the climate change mitigation measures.

Wetlands are a major component of the water cycle that provides a clean source of freshwater for both people and animals. They are ecologically fragile ecosystems that require sustainable management.

Local laws, including the 2006 Environmental Management Act and the Environmental Assessment and Ecosystem Protection Regulations of 2007, provide for the protection of wetlands.

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But as water becomes scarcer, wetlands become the only source for villagers in rural Hwange.

Although the wetlands are of value to the ecosystems and environment, villagers fear the protection of the wetland may lead to them failing to access water totally.

Kenneth Mhere, a villager from Kalala areas, says talks of protecting the Lunkunkuni wetland are difficult without other available sources of water.

“The protection of Lunkunkuni Vlei may also mean that we may not have water for drinking at all and also our cattle will die of thirst because we have only 1 borehole.”
Kenneth Mhere, Kalala villager

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