“We don’t relax when it’s raining as we take turns to stand
on the window to monitor the water level, and are always on the lookout for
flooding. We are just living in constant fear,” Mr Xavier Matarutse from the
city’s Montrose suburb said.
His house has been flooded several times, first during the 2021/22 rainy season, and on Tuesday he
suffered the same fate when heavy rain pounded the city.
The rapid expansion of the city and the poor drainage
infrastructure have exposed the entire city to surface water flooding in
residential areas, especially those on low-lying ground and wetlands such as
Mkoba 4, 11, 9, and Montrose, Ascot Infill, and Mtapa suburbs.
On Tuesday, a two-hour heavy downpour left Gweru residents
counting their losses as flash floods caused damage to many properties in the
city, including buildings in the city centre.
Those who were at the iconic Boggie Tower Clock, motorists
and pedestrians had trouble manoeuvring as the flash floods filled the
pothole-riddled roads.
“We had a sleepless night after heavy downpours flooded my
home. We were forced to use buckets to scoop out the water from the house.
“Blankets, clothes, and household furniture were all
drenched in floods and this is taking a toll on me,” said Mr Matarutse.
He said when he was looking for a house to rent, he never
thought that he was going to stay in a house constructed on a wetland.
“This affects us mentally because when it rains at night,
we can’t sleep. We take turns watching the rain from the window standing guard
for the floods but as always, we are losing the battle,” said Mr Matarutse.
Mrs Evelyn Moyo from the Mtapa suburb said their area was
also prone to flooding, which distresses most residents.
“We are not settled when it rains for fear of flooding,”
she said.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information,
Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Nick Mangwana, also took to social
media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his dismay over the flooding
experience in Gweru.
“Most affected were Mambo and Ascot high-density suburbs
where families were using buckets to scoop out the water. Poor drainage and
poor council planning is the main cause,” he posted.
According to Mr Peter Makwanya a Climate Change Researcher
and lecturer at the Zimbabwe Open University, many urban areas are on the
frontline of negative impacts of climate change.
“Whether in Harare or Gweru CBD and all other like areas,
it has to do mostly with initial planning and material rehabilitation,” he
said.
“For instance, in Gweru we have settlements in the flood
plain lying adjacent to the Gweru River. It is supposed to be a breathing space
where flooded water should be deposited away from the concentrated urban
densities. “Now that the flood plain is no more and has been replaced by
residential areas, flooding still maintains its path and course,
notwithstanding that there are houses built in error.”
With the growth in urban population, which exerts pressure
on land use practices, experts say the increasing incidents of flooding are
also damaging the road network. Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association
director Mr Cornelius Selipiwe said mental health issues were now a major
challenge for those affected by flooding.
“What we are seeing is a result of a plethora of challenges
that have been bedevilling our city for a long time. We have a challenge in
maintaining storm water drains but it is not only the council to blame but
residents as well,” he said. “Residents must not dump litter in storm drains.
The local authority must make sure the storm drains are always cleared and
there is a need for civic education.”
Mr Selipiwe said the construction of houses in wetlands
must be dealt with to restore sanity while ensuring that private contractors
invest in proper drainage systems when servicing stands.
“Some of the flooding is taking place in settlements
started by private housing developers. I think there is a need for a design or
plan from the council in terms of servicing stands. Right now, every developer
is doing what they want without proper servicing of areas and this has resulted
in recurrent flooding of people’s houses,” he said.
Gweru City Council spokesperson, Ms Vimbai Chingwaramusee,
blamed vendors and residents for blocking drainage systems through dumping of
litter and planting vegetables and crops along waterways.
The local authority has since set up evacuation centres in
Mambo (Shumba Hall), Senga (Ingwe Hall), Mtapa (Mtapa Hall) and Woodlands
(Nazarene Church of Christ), Mkoba 2 Hall, Mkoba 10 clubhouse and Muwunga
Primary School for flood victims.
In 2021, Gweru residents experienced floods in most low-lying areas of Mkoba, Nashville, Athlone, Riverside and Ascot. Chronicle
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