From George Maponga in Masvingo
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has collected samples to establish what is causing the death of fish and other aquatic species at Muzhwi Dam.

Hundreds of fish have in the past few weeks, been found floating in the dam, causing panic to communities in Ward 33, Chivi.

The exact quantity of fish and other aquatic creatures that have died is still unknown but there are fears some unscrupulous people might collect the fish for resale to unsuspecting people in the drought-prone district and surrounding areas. Villagers alerted ZimParks and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to the development, prompting the conducting of laboratory tests.

Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said on Monday: “We dispatched a team comprising ZimParks and EMA officials who went to Muzhwi Dam and collected samples following the rampant death of fish in that water body.

“The samples have been taken for lab tests and we are waiting for results. At the moment, we are appealing for calm from all the stakeholders until results of the tests are out.”

Mr Farawo urged local authorities and communities to put in place proper waste management mechanisms and advised villagers not to eat the fish amid fears the habitat might have been contaminated.

Chivi Ward 33 Councillor Tawanda Dube said villagers in Muzhwi suspected that fish poachers might have used mosquito nets treated with poisonous substances.

“The fish are dying in their hundreds and this has been happening for weeks. A routine walk along the shores of the dam will reveal hundreds of dead fish with a strange colour,” he said.

“We suspect that poachers are using mosquito nets in the dam and that the substances that were used in treating those nets may be the ones causing the death of the fish.” Clr Dube said he feared that unsuspecting customers could end up buying and consuming the fish.

“We strongly appeal to communities in Chivi and greater Masvingo to be vigilant as they might be duped into buying the fish.”