Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has come up with a Multi-Hazard Contingency Plan for the 2024-2025 rainfall season aimed at dealing with weather-induced hazards such as cyclones, floods, and heatwaves among others, to deal effectively with the effects of climate change.
This was said by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere while delivering a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday.
He said Cabinet received a report on the Multi-Hazard Contingency Plan for the 2024-2025 Rainfall Season, which was presented by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira as the Acting Chairman for the Cabinet Committee on Environment, Disaster Prevention and Management.
“Cabinet advises that the Multi-Hazard Contingency Plan has been developed to prepare and adequately respond to a multiplicity of hazards that include tropical cyclones, riverine flooding, flash floods, landslides, heat waves, severe thunderstorms, hailstorms, fires, and human and animal epidemics, water-borne diseases, crop pests, strong winds, mid-season dry spells, mine accidents as well as road traffic accidents. It targets any disaster that evolves beyond the coping capacity of local communities as well as transboundary diseases,” said Dr Muswere.
“The nation is advised that riverine flooding may be prevalent in most flood-prone areas during the January, February and March 2025 period due to anticipated high rainfall.”
The Meteorological Services Department has predicted that there will be normal to above-normal rains during the current summer cropping season.
The contingency plan by the Government will give impetus to efforts to contain the natural disasters that affected the country in the past, particularly in low-lying areas.
Dr Muswere said a total of 344 offenders had been arrested across the country after the promulgation of a Statutory Instrument banning riverbed alluvial mining.
Last week, the Government invoked the environmental management laws and banned riverbed alluvial mining as it seeks to contain the scourge of water pollution, siltation, land degradation and disruption of the natural ecosystem that has been caused by the practice.
The regulations also provided for penalties for offenders and all special grants and permits that gave rights to the practice were revoked.
Dr Muswere said Cabinet received an update on the progress made on the banning of alluvial mining and the rehabilitation of degraded rivers throughout the country, as presented by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka.
“Following the directive by Cabinet on 20 August 2024, to ban riverbed mining, an Inter-Ministerial Committee, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development was set up to spearhead the enforcement of the afore-stated directive and to carry out a survey on the status of the river ecosystems and recommend more deterrent penalties for breach of the law,” he said.
“Accordingly, on 29th November 2024, Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024: Environmental Management (Control of Alluvial Mining) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No.3) was gazetted.
“The ban on alluvial mining has been implemented and enforced throughout the country.
“The Statutory Instrument introduced stiffer penalties for offenders and allows for the seizure of minerals, machinery, equipment and vehicles. To date, a total of 344 arrests have been made across the country.”
Dr Muswere said Cabinet also received and noted an update on various mining projects as presented by the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Winston Chitando.
They include the Palm River Mines and Energy which is related to the production of stainless steel, electricity generation of 1 000 megawatts, production of one million tonnes of high carbon ferrochrome; and production of one million tonnes of coke.
He said the Zimbabwe Platinum Mines (Pvt) Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Government for the implementation of the US$1.8 billion project.
“Implementation of the expansion programme has deliberately been sequenced, to begin with projects that unlock capacity up the value chain.”
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