Mat North records 41% decrease in fire incidents

MATABELELAND North province has recorded a 41% decrease in fire incidents with 213 405 hectares destroyed in 2018 compared to 367 336 hectares in the previous year.

In a speech read on his behalf during the launch and commemoration of the national fire week at Umguza district on Friday, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo attributed the decrease in fire incidents to joint awareness campaigns and prosecution carried out by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), the Forestry Commission, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, as well as local authorities.

“It is disheartening to note that statistics reveal that the province has maintained a second position nationally (as an area with high fire incidents) for the past four years in terms of hectarage burnt,” Moyo said.

This story is for NewsDay subscribers.