By Jeffrey Moyo

The adage to obey is better than to sacrifice has come to its own interpretation across the country when hundreds of homes built on wetlands fell prey to persistent rains that recently pounded the nation.

The rate of destruction of wetlands in Zimbabwe's urban settlements has reached alarming proportions as the majority of them are being turned into residential and industrial stands. Most of the homes apparently on wetlands were built in brazen disregard of city bylaws, which do not allow construction of any structures on wetlands.

The rains which have continued against all odds have left hundreds of homes marooned in rising floods, with some temporary residential structures falling apart at the behest of torrential rains.

In Epworth, a high density suburb to the east of Harare, over 200 families have been left stranded after their makeshift homes were left drowning in the midst of heavy rains. Residents expressed worry at the continued rains and appealed for alternative accommodation, with most of them claiming they were now squashed up in neighbours and well-wishers’ homes.

“We were allocated these stands by government authorities at minimum fees, but look at what is happening. Our homes are sinking in the rains. These politicians should have told us long before that this area was not meant for any residential structures,” said Agrippa Mhasi, a resident in Epworth, who occupies a makeshift home which has fallen
prey to the continuing rains.
“Where do we go now? Nobody seems to care for us now that we are caught up in the midst of these rains which are drowning our only homes upon which we spent much treasure to erect,” said Irene Shonhiwa, a single mother of three. Residents caught up in the rains have said their leaders have not been forthcoming with help since the outset of the rains.

Precious Shumba, Coordinator at the Harare Residents Trust (HRT), expressed concern at the development, saying there was a lot of corruption involving councilors and other city officials in Harare about the dishing out of housing stands on places not meant for human habitation.

“There is a lot of corruption in the housing cooperatives, involving the Department of Urban Planning and officials at the Department of Housing and Community Services. Many people, including councillors, have formed parallel housing cooperatives and are misleading ordinary residents to built homes on undesignated areas, some of which arewetlands,” Shumba said.

Shumba accused authourities of dishing housing stands on wetlands to unsuspecting and at times ignorant individuals. In Westlea, some hundred meters after a high school owned by the late army general Vitalis Zvinavashe, some housing stands with some quickly emerging makeshift homes, the rains have not spared either. The wetland is marooned in rising pools and puddles of water due to the increasing rains, but according to the residents, no action has been taken by local authorities to address their plight.

“You can see for yourself how my makeshift home has continued to drown in the rising water levels here due to the rains,” said Arnold Mhaka from Westlea.

Residents said they were duped into buying the housing stands by local property dealers and were now caught up on the horns of a dilemma as they can no longer leave the stands.

“We were duped by local property dealers to buy the housing stands you see here in a state of messy on this wetland. The stands were affordable and that was how most residents were enticed into buying them,” said Pritchard Zivambo, another disgruntled Westlea resident.

According to officials, about 156 families from Westlea have homes built on wetlands, a situation which may draw a backlash from city authorities who may destroy the homes.

Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA)’s Ground Water Manager, Engineer Sam Sunguro said construction of houses on wetlands depletes the water table and gives rise to pollution of underground water.

“The construction of houses on wetlands coupled with a sharp increase in the use of borehole water has contributed to the depletion of Harare’s water table,” said Sunguro. He said the water table used to be around 15 to 18 meters below the earth’s surface, but has now gone down to about 30 meters in some
areas.

He said the construction of houses on wetlands has also caused an increase in the contamination of underground water.

“People construct septic tanks that drain into soakways, thereby polluting underground water through seepage,” said Sunguro. Since soakways are not connected to the main sewer channels, solid waste settles in the deep pit filled with stones and the waste water sips into the ground.

“Septic tanks also burst thereby getting into waterways and polluting underground water,” added Sunguro.

“If construction of houses on wetlands continues at the current rate, we run the risk of declaring underground water unsafe for drinking,” he said.

Environment Africa’s Programme Officer on Environmental Rights Selestino Chari said wetlands should be given to communities to manage. Chari said wetlands can be utilized sustainably without affecting various ecological functions. But some environmentalists have suggested a better way of constructing houses on wetlands if need be.

“In the event that wetlands are utilized for housing developments, the only sustainable way would be to build upwards as this would reduce the area to be cleared as was the case in Curitiba, a city in Brazil,” said Nyson Mhari.

Along Enterprise Road close to Chisipite Shopping Centre from the city centre, another wetland courted controversy after it was serviced for building purposes apart from the controversial shopping mall allegedly owned by the national army built at a wetland close to the National Sports Stadium.

In Southlea Park behind Granville Cemetery, there is a wetland that has become an eyesore as unemployed youths in the area are digging pit sand for sale.
Environment Management Authority Public Relations Manager, Steady Kangata, said Zimbabwe has vibrant laws and policies aimed at protecting the environment.

“I will investigate the cases you have mentioned and anyone found guilty is either given an order to stop construction or is fined depending on impact assessments,” he said.

“What I want to encourage our citizens is to live in harmony with nature and to follow legal channels of tapping from the environment as future generations will suffer because of our ills,” said Kangata.