BY BOKANI MUDIMBA
Dozens of Victoria Falls residents were left counting their losses after flash floods damaged their household property.
Some residents helplessly watched their security walls collapse as water rose to knee level inside their homes and yards.
Nomqhele Moyo is one of the residents whose property was damaged.
“We are in constant fear because each time it rains water accumulates,” Moyo said.
“When the flash floods hit the city early last month (January), we were literally living in water which was knee high in the yard and much of our property was soaked.”
Her lounge suite, beds, electrical gadgets and clothes were damaged.
Some vehicles developed electrical faults after spending three days partly submerged in water, according to residents.
Last year, Victoria Falls was also hit by flash floods which left some residents counting their losses.
The recent floods mostly affected high density and medium density areas, while the low density and central business district where hotels and tour operators are located were spared.
Roads became impassable, some were washed off while others were severely damaged due to flooding induced erosion.
The flash floods have been blamed on the resort town’s poor drainage system and lack of adequate storm water drains.
There are no storm water drains in the new Mkhosana and Aerodrome medium density suburbs, which were the hardest hit.
Sections of Chinotimba suburb were also affected after the suburb’s storm drains were overwhelmed by massive runoff.
Residents believe that disasters can be averted if the local authority constructs storm water drains.
“People lost property and foodstuffs which puts their livelihoods in a difficult position considering the economic hardships they are already facing,” Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association chairperson Kelvin Moyo says.
“We get worried because it’s becoming recurrent.
“The problem is known and very clear as we have raised it several times at various fora.
“There is lack of a proper drainage system and the council should prioritise making storm water drains around the city and suburbs.”
Players in the tourism sector say while their industry was spared, the floods severely affected their business.
“As long as the floods remain flash floods there will be no direct impact on tourism although activities such as helicopter flights, game drives, white water rafting and tour of the falls cannot be done during the period of the floods, which has a bearing on day to day business,” tourism executive Clement Mukwasin warned.
Victoria Falls City Council officials are now having sleepless nights, with mayor Somvelo Dhlamini saying a permanent solution, including a complete overhaul of the drainage system is needed.
“The solution that will mitigate this challenge is construction of proper storm water drains and as council we are working with our engineers to come up with areas that can be prioritised in the construction of storm water drains,” Dhlamini said.
“Work will commence as soon as funds are made available by either council or government and other partners.”
Environment and disaster management are listed in the local authority’s five year strategic plan.
Civil Protection Committee national director Nathan Nkomo said local authorities will be able to use their by-laws in disaster risk management once the Disaster Risk Management Bill becomes law.
“We always talk of contingency plans to mitigate disasters, and so far we are devolving functions for local authorities to mimic what the central government does in terms of managing disasters because there is no way the government can manage everything,” Nkomo says.
“Local authorities should be more responsible, especially in the area of spatial planning.”
The country is in the process of implementing the United Nations Sendai Framework for disaster reduction through local authorities.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years.
* This article was originally published by The Citizen Bulletin, a nonprofit news organisation that produces hard-hitting, hyperlocal reporting and analysis for the southwestern region of Matabeleland