Cyclone Idai’s silver lining

Ray bande recently in CHImaNImaNI

IT is extremely difficult to draw any positives from a disaster, let alone a natural disaster that claimed more the 300 lives.

However, the Cyclone Idai induced picturesque land fissures and waterfalls along the sloppy Skyline-Chimanimani road are a natural beauty that could add value to the area’s tourism package.

Driving down the undulating terrain to Chimanimani, the geographical changes can never escape any visitor’s attention.

The landscape is a marvel to watch.

If augmented with some touch-ups here and there, Chimanimani’s waterfalls could be the next big tourism destination.

Meanwhile, the popular and majestic Bridal Veil Falls are intact following last year’s Cyclone Idai.

The waterfall survived the tropical storm, although much of the vegetation surrounding it was destroyed.

During a recent visit by The Manica Post, it was noticed that the plunge pool — Tessa’s Pool — is now much bigger than it was before the cyclone. The water is also now cascading from the cliff in greater volumes, something that could be more appealing to tourists.

Contacted for comment, Chimanimani Tourism Association secretary Mr Collins Sibanda said: “While Cyclone Idai caused so much damage to human and animal life, it also created some tourist products and improved the appearance of others.

“The Bridal Veil Falls, for example, is now more attractive. The Tessa’s Pool is now bigger and more water is now cascading from the cliff,” said Mr Sibanda.

Ms Sharon Dhliwayo, a Ngangu resident, spoke about the new waterfalls in Chimanimani.

“We have several falls that were created by Cyclone Idai along the road from Skyline. The responsible authorities need to spruce up the surrounding areas.

“After the road rehabilitation works are done, there is need to create some small gardens around these waterfalls so that tourists can visit them,” she said.

Disaster tourism — the practice of visiting locations that would have been hit by environmental disasters, either natural or man-made is a global phenomenon. The most common disaster tourism sites are the areas surrounding volcanic eruptions. Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2,5 million visitors annually. Pompeii is a vast archaeological site. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets

and houses that visitors can freely explore. The town was wealthy, with many beautiful public buildings and luxurious private houses adorned with lavish decorations, as well as expensive furnishings and artwork. In the same vein, tourism products created by Cyclone Idai will certainly add value to the existing sites in the mountainous Chimanimani.