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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Chronicle Reporter

THE Environment Management Agency, working with various stakeholders, has intensified efforts to curb veld fires to achieve a target of 25 percent reduction in land which was destroyed by veld fires last year.

Property worth US$370 837 was destroyed by veld fires during last year’s fire season while eight lives were lost.

A total of one million ha of land was destroyed last year compared to 2020 when 806 000 ha of land was destroyed, which translated to a 25 percent increase.

Last year, 3 948 fire incidences were recorded while 1 178 were recorded in 2020.

The fire season, which ran from July 31 to October 31 last year, will this year stretch from July 31 to November 30, according to a Government Gazette.

The fire season will now be gazetted yearly.

“According to the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Cde Mangaliso Ndlovu has in terms of section 4 (2)(d) of the Environment Management Act issued a public notice on the 2022 fire season.”

“The public is advised that the Minister, in consultation with the Meteorological Services Department and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and having studied the climate changes and rainfall patterns, has made the following declarations pertaining to the 2022 fire season in Zimbabwe: start of 2022 fire season: The country’s fire season for the year 2022 has been determined using the long range weather forecast.

The nation is advised that the fire season will starts from the 31st July 2022 and ends on 30 November 2022,” reads the Government Gazette.

In a statement, EMA Environmental Education and Publicity manager, Ms Amkela Sidange said according to the veld fire risk prediction for the year 2022, provinces highly exposed to veld fires are Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Matabeleland North.

She said awareness campaigns have started across the country.

Ms Sidange said the target was to ensure that all vulnerable provinces and district are covered at farm and village level.

She said some of the new approaches which the agency has roped in this year include establishment of model villages where there will be zero tolerance to veld fires known as model anti fire villages starting with villages in eight hot spot districts.

Activities towards the formation of these include extensive education and awareness, fireguard construction and fire fighting equipment capacitation.

The thrust is to entrench sustainable fire management in these villages and encourage replication of strategies adopted in these by other vulnerable areas.

“We are working with various stakeholders such as the Forestry Commission and Agritex in implementing these strategies.

For the coming two to three weeks, technical teams made up of EMA and other Government departments will be on the ground establishing these model villages.

We have also rolled out a number of awareness programmes working with these stakeholders.”

Ms Sidange said the fire season will now be gazetted annually.

“This came after a realisation that the country was experiencing fires outside the statutory fire season of 31 July to 31 October mostly due to climate change impacts which resulted in shift in seasons,” she said.

Ms Sidange said the target was to ensure fire management is entrenched at grassroot level.

She said a multi stakeholder approach was needed for the country to achieve its target of reducing land lost to veld fires by 25 percent.

The veld fire risk prediction for 2022 has revealed that 74,8 percent of the country is in the medium to high risk category, 22,8 percent is in the low risk zone while 2,4 percent is in extreme high risk.

“The provinces highly exposed to the veld fires in 2022 are Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Matabeleland North.

The districts that fall in the extreme high risk are Nyanga, Mutasa, Chipinge, Zvimba, Mazowe, Centenary, Makonde and Hwange.

These districts should be carefully and closely monitored as they may culminate into fire danger zones,” said Ms Sidange.

She said there was a need to come up with management plans and strategies to counter veld fires at all levels.

“Communities and farmers in high risk areas should implement biomass reduction activities such as hay baling and thatch grass combing,” said Ms Sidange. – @DubeMatutu