GOVERNMENT has set aside US$200 000 for cloud seeding in the 2015/2016 season due to an expected poor rainfall season predicted by the Meteorological Services Department.
Although the Environment, Water and Climate Ministry had requested between US$500 000 and US$600 000, only US$200 000 was released by Treasury.
Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri- Kashiri said Treasury had assured them that cloud seeding would be a priority for government and when the need arises, the remaining funds would be released.
“At the moment, the US$200 000 is seed money to begin cloud seeding, and because of our preparedness and the seriousness attached to this season, funds have been released early unlike in the past when we would get funds as late as November,” Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
The Ministry of Environment highlighted that the hydro-meteorological forecast for 2015/2016 showed unfavourable conditions for water resources management in most of the catchments of the country.
“The country is expected to generate between 10 million mega litres and 19 million mega litres of runoff. By the end of March 2016 the dam levels are expected to be between 65,1 percent and 84 percent full.
“Government is mobilising resources for the Ministry to carry out urgent national cloud seeding programme starting in November 2015 until March 2016. This is meant to augment rainfall for agriculture purposes as well as water in our dams and catchment for irrigation, livestock and portable water,” she added.
The Ministry intends to have two aircrafts for the cloud seeding exercise, with one aircraft based in either Chiredzi or Bulawayo and the second in Harare.
“This will ensure that as many rain-pregnant clouds as possible are seeded at the shortest possible and most opportune time,” Muchinguri-Kashiri added
For the month of September, the country’s major dams were holding four billion cubic metres. These figures however, did not include Kariba Dam which is standing at 27,9 percent full and Tokwe Mukorsi which is currently empty.
Zimbabwe has 10 000 small dams and 200 big dams constructed for the purposes of water harvesting for agricultural use.

Oppah Muchinguri- Kashiri

“I urge the nation to utilise these dams in supplementing dry land agriculture through irrigation. We are also recommending that farmers grow short season crop varieties which are drought tolerant to enhance food security during the 2015/2016 season,” Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
She also noted that the 10 000 dams were being affected by climate change as farmers resorted to stream bank cultivation in search of water.
“Of the 10 000 dams that the country boasts of, many are no longer functioning because of siltation. For example the rivers that were flowing in 1980 are no longer flowing due to the vagaries of the changing weather patterns. Wetlands are disappearing and the water table is getting deeper. For example, the Save River in Manicaland and the Munyati River in Midlands Province.
“Hydro-electricity is no longer sustainable, also because of climate change and there is need to resort to other sources of energy which are renewable.”
As climate change takes its toll on nations, temperatures have been increasing both during the day and at night; a case in point is when temperatures for Buffalo range airport recorded a high of 45 degrees Celsius.
With the increasing temperatures, the most vulnerable sectors are agriculture, food security, health, energy and disaster risk reduction.
Muchinguri-Kashiri also warned that despite the forecast of normal to below normal rains, flooding was expected in areas that were usually prone to flooding. Flood-prone areas such as Muzarabani, the Zambezi Valley and Tsholotsho have been advised to be on high alert.
[email protected]