Michell Zvanyanya, Chronicle Reporter

ZIMBABWE has recorded an increase in fire incidents which have destroyed more than 957 000 hectares of land and killed three people since the beginning of this year, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), has said. 

In a statement that marked the beginning of 2019 fire season in July, EMA had recorded a total of 315 763,08 arable land destroyed from  1 050 incidents of veld fires which have increased to 1 282 during the season. 

 The fire season, which stretches from July 31 to the end of this month, is this year running under the theme, “Protect the environment, life and property- prevent veld fires.” 

EMA national spokesperson Ms Amkela Sidange said arable land has been destroyed in the recorded fire incidents. 

“We are just two weeks before the end of the fire season this year and we recorded 1 282 fire incidents which destroyed a total of 957 709, 84 hectares of land as recorded from the Fire Monitoring station. It is however, a decrease in the total land destroyed by veld fires compared to the same period last year,” said Ms Sidange. 

“Just two weeks before the end of the fire season last year, we recorded a total of 1 043 million hectares of land destroyed from 1 464 incidents of veld fires. This shows that this year we have recorded a decrease of 8,19 percent.” 

The decrease follows the pre-suppression mechanisms which were adopted to control veld fires during the 2019 fire season with a target to reduce hectares burnt by 10 percent. 

Ms Sidange expressed concern over negligence in handling of wildfires, saying it has resulted in property worth ZWL$118 180 being destroyed. 

She attributed the loss to land owners’ failure to erect standard fire guards to protect their property from veld fires. 

 “In as much as we have recorded a decrease this year, as a country we are slowly losing more land and property to veld fires mainly caused by negligence. 

“The veld fires are making our land more vulnerable to desertification despite Zimbabwe being a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Due to negligence we are now encouraging desertification,” said Ms Sidange.

She said three people had died in veld fires since the start of the fire season. 

“We lost a 50-year-old man in Mashonaland Central, a 55-year-old woman from Nyanga district in Manicaland and a 61-year-old woman in Mashonaland East due to veld fires. This all happened between July 31 and today,” said Ms Sidange. — @michellzvanyanyan2