The onset of the rainy season raises feelings of fear and anxiety for many Gweru residents due to the high risk of flooding as a result of the weak drainage system under the opposition-run local authority.
“We don’t relax when it rains, we take turns standing at the window to monitor the water level, and we are always watching for the floods. We live in constant fear,” said Xavier Matarozzi from the city’s Montrose suburb.
His house has been flooded several times, first during the 2021/22 rainy season, and on Tuesday he suffered the same fate when heavy rains hit the city.
The rapid expansion of the city and poor sanitation infrastructure has exposed the entire city to surface water flooding in residential areas, especially those on lowlands and wetlands such as Mkoba 4, 11, 9, Montrose, Ascot Inville and Mataba. Suburbs.
On Tuesday, heavy rain fell for two hours, causing Gweru residents to count their losses, as flash floods caused damage to many properties in the city, including buildings in the city centre.
Those at the famous Boggie Tower Clock, motorists and pedestrians had difficulty maneuvering as floods filled potholed roads.
“We had a sleepless night after heavy rains flooded my house. We had to use buckets to scoop water out of the house.
“The floods washed away blankets, clothes and household furniture, and this affected me negatively,” Mr Matarozzi said.
He said that when he was looking for a house to rent, he never thought he would be living in a house built on wetland.
“This affects us mentally because when it rains at night, we cannot sleep. We take turns watching the rain from the window and standing guard over the floods, but as always, we lose the battle,” Mr. Matarozzi said.
Ms Evelyn Moyo from Mtapa suburb said their area is also vulnerable to floods, which worries most residents.
She said: “We do not settle down when it rains for fear of floods.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Nick Mangwana, also took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his dismay at the flood experience in Gweru.
“The densely populated suburbs of Mambo and Ascot were the worst affected as families were using buckets to extract water. Poor sanitation and poor council planning was the main cause,” he added.
According to Mr Peter Makwanya, climate change researcher and lecturer at Zimbabwe Open University, many urban areas are on the frontline of the negative impacts of climate change.
“Whether in Harare or Gweru CBD and all other similar areas, it is mostly a matter of initial planning and rehabilitation of materials,” he said.
“For example, in Gweru we have settlements in the flood plain adjacent to the Gweru River. They are supposed to serve as an outlet for floodwaters to percolate away from concentrated urban densities. “Now that the flood plain is gone and replaced by residential areas, the floods are still maintaining their course and path; Although there are houses built by mistake.”
With urban population growth putting pressure on land use practices, experts say increasing flood incidents are also causing damage to the road network. Director of the Gweru Residents and Taxpayers Association, Mr Cornelius Celebiwe, said mental health issues were now a major challenge for those affected by the floods.
“What we are seeing is the result of a plethora of challenges that have bedeviled our city for a long time. “We have a challenge in maintaining storm drains, but the blame is not on the council alone, but on the residents as well,” he added. “Residents should not throw rubbish into storm drains.” . The local authority must ensure that storm drains are always cleaned and civic education is needed.
Mr Siliboy said building houses in wetlands should be addressed to restore mental health while ensuring private contractors invest in proper drainage systems when maintaining the stands.
“Some flooding is occurring in settlements created by private housing developers. I think there needs to be a design or plan from the council regarding service parking. At the moment, every developer is doing what they want without providing proper services to the areas, and this has led to frequent flooding,” he said. In people’s homes.”
Gweru City Council spokesperson, Ms Vimbai Chingwaramosi, blamed vendors and residents for clogging sewerage systems by dumping garbage and planting vegetables and crops along waterways.
The local authority has since set up evacuation centers at Mambo (Shumba Hall), Senga (Ingwe Hall), Mtapa (Mtapa Hall), Woodlands (Church of Christ of Nazareth), Mkoba Hall 2, Mkoba 10 Club and Muunga Primary School for flood victims. .
In 2021, Gweru residents experienced flooding in most of the low-lying areas of Mkoba, Nashville, Athlone, Riverside and Ascot. Chronicle
