Jeffrey Gogo Climate Story
TORRENTIAL rains that recently caused flash flooding in known high-risk areas, killing dozens and displacing hundreds more, have renewed simmering concerns about Zimbabwe’s capability and readiness to handling climate-linked disaster events.
Hardly a year after Tokwe-Mukosi, the flooding in Muzarabani, Mbire, Mt Darwin and other low-lying lands in the north-east have severely exposed the country’s strategic weaknesses in early warning and disaster risk management.
There were a few lessons learnt, if any, from the disaster at Tokwe-Mukosi, nor from tropical cyclone Eline in 2000, nor from tropical cyclone Japhet in 2003, that may have helped shape responses or influence key decisions during the latest round of flooding.
And one such missed but crucial lesson is that Zimbabwe’s response challenges are more “strategic” than they are “technical,” according to development strategist, Mr Simon Bere, who also heads the local chapter of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa.
By strategic he means a national incapacity to implement effective solutions, and technical, the presence of a skilled human resources base that will not struggle designing the necessary strategies.
“The most important part is disaster prevention, which is a strategic response,” Mr Bere said in an interview on January 8.
“Effective disaster management has specific protocols for responding to disasters which determine specific routines to be activated as soon as disaster is declared.
“These protocols include specific performance standards to be adhered to. Then there must also be periodic mock drills to test effectiveness of responses to specific disasters. Disaster preparedness begins with a potential list of all potential disasters and their potential impacts and what targets would be vulnerable.”
Most of these aspects do not exist in Zimbabwe’s disaster response, Mr Bere contends, if they do, then they have been disregarded.
In the past fortnight, the nation learnt with shock as uninformed motorists took on foolish risks, crossing flooded narrow bridges, with expected fatal outcomes.
Poor on-foot villagers met a similar fate, while others were left stranded on islands for days, as the waters raged around them.
On January 4, the Civil Protection Unit’s principal administration officer, Mr Lameck Betera claimed on ZTV’s Sunday Edition the department had started a pre-flood educational campaign sensitising communities in vulnerable regions on critical actions to follow during flood times.
That message clearly went unheeded, for example, by the two fear-struck people marooned on Nyangui river in Mashonaland East, or it simply never reached them, like in the past.
Situations like these can be avoided. “The success of responsiveness is greatly affected by access to early warnings as well individual reaction and or view of the warnings,” said Bindura University’s climate expert and lecturer, Mr Terrence Mushore.
“The nature of floods also affects ability to respond to warnings. If the ground is already very wet, rises in water levels are almost sudden.
“We need a disaster management system which ensures that communities receive warnings no matter how remote they are.”
Spatial mapping (of vulnerable areas such as Muzarabani) is also important, noted Mr Bere.
“Then, agents that cause each disaster are known and must be monitored to prevent the disaster or minimise impacts in the event of an occurrence.”
The high risk flood zones in Zimbabwe are well-known. This is where the land resettlement programme should redirect its focused attention.
People such as those in Muzarabani or Tsholotsho must be relocated to new lands, where the risk of extreme events like floods is low.
This guards against future evacuations that have so far proved costly and inadequate to saving human lives or livelihoods.
Slow leaders’ response
Leadership that is quick to respond to the plight of those it leads is desperately needed.
While several Cabinet ministers responded with speed to the cyanide poisoning of 300 elephants in Hwange in 2013, the recent flash flooding, in which people have died, has failed to attract a similar level of swift action from high authorities.
Those most active and visible in the current crisis are middle and provincial managers from the Civil Protection Unit, aid agencies such as the Red Cross, Air Force of Zimbabwe, and victims of the flooding routinely crying for help.
Until now, there has not been any visit to the affected areas by high profile figures for an on-the-ground analysis, or to express and share sorrow with the homeless families.
It is only last week that Local Government minister Dr Ignatius Chombo announced the Cabinet Committee on Civil Protection, which he chairs, would meet this week to map a way forward.
However, Mr Bere believes proper disaster response does not put politicians, whose technical understanding of such events is generally of a limited nature, in front.
“With effective disaster management, the first team on site must be experts to rapidly assess the situation and undertake the first line response to contain the situation. Time is key in disaster responses,” he argued.
Task too big for CPU
What is also clear is that disaster response is beyond the responsibility and mandate of a single Government department like the CPU. It lacks capacity because it is greatly under-funded.
The Civil Protection Fund, from where the CPU draws its finances, received just $300 000 for this entire year, according to the 2015 Estimates of Expenditure.
Now, given this is a current transfer, the bulk of the allocation will probably go towards current expenditure such as salaries and administrative costs.
We might be witnessing a scenario where, at the Civil Protection Unit level, the department may have planned 2015 with the possibility of extreme events at the back of the mind because the budget did not provide for such.
In 2013, CPU director Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Local Government that the Unit was broke and could not even afford to buy fire-fighting equipment.
Under-funding affects response not only during disaster, but also the aftermath.
“Post-disaster, there are issues of dealing with victims psychologically and materially to restore normalcy” explained Mr Bere.
“If the costs for material restoration are not known in advance, and there are no strategic reserves to help the situation, the post-disaster period can be difficult. Lives can be impaired permanently.”
Some of the narrow bridges that have stolen human lives in both flood and non-flood times were built over 35 years ago to serve the similarly narrow interests of settler farmers.
Such infrastructure requires rapid replacing, and that’s the central Government’s duty. Reliable road networks can greatly change the manner in which Zimbabwe responds to disasters, prevents them or minimise damage.
Said Mr Mushore: “Since climate science has already predicted more such extremes in future, researches must also focus on what needs to be done to ensure that if the rains intensify the water would be channelled in ways which minimise risk of flooding.
“This should be augmented then by relevant recommended physical infrastructure even if this may take some time.”
The flash flooding that has hit Mashonaland East, Central and West; Harare, Manicaland and Midlands have killed 10 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and public infrastructure such as roads, bridges and clinics.
The true cost of loss and damage remains unknown. But another disaster response test waits in the wings.
The Meteorological Services Department has forecast fresh flooding in areas to the north-east of the country, the historic hotspots, beginning January 10.
God is faithful.
◆ jeffgogo@gmail.com