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Abigail Mawonde, Harare Bureau
The Department of Surveyor General (DSG) has not been able to produce new maps over the last 30 years, let alone update those already in existence due to resource constraints coupled with brain drain, a Government official has said.

This was revealed by Surveyor-General Mr Edwin Guvaza during the official handover ceremony of “The Folded Street Map of Harare” by the Government of Japan, through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Monday.

“The last topographic maps of the 1:5000 scale for the Harare and its environs were produced in 1985 from aerial photography acquired in 1985.

“The coming in of JICA to partner the Department of Surveyor General over the past two years, in the production of the Harare Street Map of scale 1:5 000 has been a welcome development,” he said.

“We strongly believe that the Harare street map is going to be of great help to organisations like the Zimbabwe Republic Police in terms of monitoring traffic and crime within the city and Utility and telecommunication companies like Zesa, TelOne, NetOne, ZOL and Econet, just to mention a few.”

Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Dr Douglas Mombeshora thanked the Japanese for the assistance.

“I would like to appreciate this bilateral cooperation which capacitated the DSG to fulfil its statutory mandate to undertake its administrative, regulatory, advisory and technical functions pertaining to land, aerial and space surveys and mapping for geo-information provision as provided-for by the Land Survey Act [Chap. 20:12].

“Today we are witnessing the delivery of one of the products of this bilateral cooperation, being the Folded Street Map of Harare.

“Your Excellency, Ambassador Toshiyuki Iwado, it is my wish that such noble developmental activities be not limited to the capital city only. It is my hope that your good offices shall consider extending the programme beyond the perimeter of Harare,” he said.

Ambassador Iwado said more should be expected from the Japan-Zimbabwe partnerships.

“The handover of the product ‘Digital Map of Greater Harare’ is not simply the handover of the final product of the ‘Project for the Development of a Geospatial Information Database in the Republic of Zimbabwe’.

“Both Governments regard the project as an important initial step towards future development programmes by the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

“Since we started the Project in 2015, experts from both countries have worked hard to develop the Geospatial Information Database in the Project area.

“At the same time, JICA experts from Japan have transferred to experts from Zimbabwe know-how and techniques necessary to make the best use of the Geospatial Information Database for future infrastructure development plans and improvement of services for the most populated areas of the country,” he said.

JICA resident representative, Mr Shumon Yoshiara said it was their hope that the outcome of the Geospatial Information Database project would be fully utilised by all relevant stakeholders.

“Detailed information on spatial status especially large scale topographic maps are the backbone for sustainable developmental plans on various areas such as infrastructure, transport networks, emergency management, electricity supply, sanitation and health including other utilities. Therefore Geospatial information technologies have become critical tools to support national development, economic growth, decision making and policy formulation,” he said.

“Since DSG is the national mapping and surveying authority charged with the task of producing national topographic base maps for different user needs and applications, it is encouraged to promote the use of these digital topographic maps being handed over today to deepen citizens and stakeholders understanding of geospatial information.”