This comes
after seven children drowned in the dam between November last year and January
this year.
As the water
flows swiftly over the dam wall from a height of more than five metres, the
decorative artificial waterfall appears harmless, attracting the young and
energetic for a quick swim behind the wall’s deep waters.
Located in
Green Valley suburb of Goromonzi district, East of Harare, the dam has become a
death trap with seven children having drowned between November last year and
January this year.
The latest victim is a 16-year-old boy who drowned this Tuesday.
A resident told
the ZBC News, “Children are attracted to come and swim here. On the surface,
there is a lot of floating weeds. However, the depth of the dam wall is the
same depth of the water behind the wall where children swim and end up
drowning.”
Another said,
“Children drown when they go and swim in the dam and the way they always come
out make us believe there is a mermaid. I remember some time ago a huge whirl
wind came from the eastern side and fell in the water and the water rose from
the surface into the air. All the people ran away fearing for their lives.”
“To save lives
I think there is a need to erect a fence or concrete with razor wire so that
children won’t have access to the water,” another added.
According to
the World Health Organisation (W.H.O), drowning is one of the leading causes of
death and injury especially among children globally with more than 236 000
lives being lost each year. ZBC
