PICTURE: Chipinge District Forestry Officer Mr Clasport Karimanzira
standing near some of the piles of wood being poached in Chipinge Ward 6
CHIPINGE town water supply is under threat following dwindling water levels that the town’s main water source, Bangazaan Dam, is experiencing. This was revealed by Forestry Commission.
Bangazaan Dam which was built on Budzi River and was commissioned in 1986 has a full carrying capacity of 2 825 mega litres. It reached 97 percent capacity by the end of the rainy season in April this year. Barely five months down the line, the dam is below 50 percent capacity.
According to the Chipinge District Forestry Officer Mr Clasport Karimanzira, siltation is threatening the water body. Said Mr Karimanzira: “Silt is consuming a huge stake of Bangazaan Dam that when we see the dam level rising, it’s not rising to actual water level but due to silt.”
The forestry officer went on to point out the causes of the siltation. “There are illegal settlers, illegal charcoal production and commercial brick moulding along Budzi River in Ward 6 especially at Makotopeya and part of Joppa areas,” continued Mr Karimanzira.
The area is made up of miombo woodlands which are dominated by zebra wood (musasa) and African teak (munondo) species. “The trees are favoured by wood poachers. The area has lost almost 75 percent of natural woodlots in the past ten years. Its high terrain contributes immensely on soil erosion whenever the soil is left bare,” added the forester.
“Stakeholders have tried to engage the illegal settlers to no avail. We now appeal to politicians to intervene in the removal of the illegal settlers. Otherwise Chipinge town will suffer critical water shortages in five years to come,” concluded Mr Karimanzira.
Chipinge District has a target of planting 130 000 trees this year. The number might not make significant reforestation impact if illegal settlers continue harvesting trees unsustainably.