Manyame Catchment: A Risk Assessment

Abstract

This study investigates the many dynamics of the Manyame Catchment and comes up with recommendations on how to adapt or become more resilient to the risks at hand. The bad politics and forthcoming economic situation of Zimbabwe has led to instability and dramatic inflation over the last decade. This has resulted in a terrible investment climate, limited aid received from foreign countries and an outflow of educated population. Exploitation of water resources by industries, mines and urban centres located close to the rivers resulted in a decline in the quality and quantity of the environment. Especially the Manyame River Catchment, that supplies the capital Harare and flows north into the Zambezi, has been greatly affected. The catchment suffers from several pollution sources such as agriculture, mining, industrial dumps and wastewater inflow. Poor management and the deterioration of the drinking water supply and sanitation infrastructure has led to the recent outbreak of cholera. Although the Manyame Catchment has enough water, another main issue is the spatial distribution of its water resources. In some areas there are dams, but no farmers to utilize the water. In other areas farmers are desperate for water, but don’t receive any. The increasing dry spells due to climatic changes, has had disastrous effects for the non-irrigating smallholder farmers dependent on their maize production for survival, while floods created by the backwater curve from the Cahora Bassa Dam in the Lower Manyame sub-catchment have washed away the livestock, crops and infrastructure on the fertile areas in the flood plains. The situation stresses for better awareness, monitoring and guardance of the water resources. This will provide information for improvements in the planning, policy and management of water resources. Although the history of Zimbabwean governance would suggest it is purely acting on crisis management, proactive planning would be preferable to the alternative; to wait for the aquifers to dry up only for people to realize the real value of water.