Gearing up for the big one
About three weeks ago, pupils from Zingore Primary School in Mt Darwin were stuck at the institution after Donga River burst its banks and flooded the area.
ELSEWHERE in the province, 31 huts and 34 blair toilets were destroyed in Muzarabani, also by raging waters. In the Glendale area of Mazowe, houses were flooded with water mixed with sewage. And across the country in Bulawayo, flash floods left some residents counting their costs.
This is an annual headache for the Civil Protection Unit, which has to contend with flooding in low-lying areas at this time of year every year.
The CPU — which falls under the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Ministry — is among agencies spearheading efforts to implement a comprehensive flood and earthquake disaster management strategy.
Mr Nathan Nkomo, the CPU director, has said: “We are an active player in efforts to minimise disaster management. We have been attending meetings with other Government agencies like the MSD (Meterological Services Department) and I am sure that if floods or an earthquake strike, we are fully prepared to execute our mandate.”
Major disasters the CPU has contended with include the 1991/2drought, Cyclone Eline (2012) and the 2008 /9 cholera outbreak.
The CPU says it is on high alert following worrying tectonic activity in Southern Africa in recent years, mainly in the form of minor earth tremors.
In 2016, a 5,8-magnitude tremor originated in Mozambique and shook parts of Zimbabwe.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake’s epicentre was Dondo, about 35km north of Mozambique’s port capital of Beira.
According to the MSD, Zimbabwe recorded over 50 tremors in 2016 alone, ranging in magnitude from 1,5 to 4,6 on the Richter scale.
In 2017, some parts of the country, including Harare and Bulawayo, experienced tremors from a 6,5 magnitude earthquake that had its origins in Botswana.
Earth tremors measured at 5,6 on the Richter scale were recorded in Chipinge last year. The largest earthquake recorded in Zimbabwe occurred at Kariba Dam in 1963 (6,3).
According to the MSD Seismology Section (Zimbabwe National Data Centre), Zimbabwe is — like most Southern African countries — prone to earthquakes.
Zimbabwe, which is located in areas with high seismic activity is one of several countries that could experience major tectonic activity. Earthquakes in Zimbabwe are caused mainly by plate tectonics that are closely related to the East African Rift System.
The African Rift Valley covers the eastern highlands and such areas as Kariba and the Zambezi Basin.
According to the MSD, this major geological structure accounts for 90 percent moderate to large earthquakes in Africa.
Large-scale mining, mainly in Midlands province, are said to be behind some of the occurrences, with previous quakes recorded in Matabeleland South and the Midlands also being attributed to mining.
Since the occurrence of earthquakes cannot be scientifically predicted, authorities must remain on high alert for disaster response teams to deploy speedily.
Measures can be taken to safeguard both populations and property against potential damage and death.
Government is implementing several measures to this end, including the recent establishment of an inter-ministerial, multi-agency task-force to assess Zimbabwe’s preparedness for earthquakes.
Its mandate is to organise and make sure that sufficient resources are allocated to cater for the humanitarian aspects of emergencies arising from earthquakes; in particular preparedness, response and recovery.
The CPU is working with the Global Disaster Alert and Co-ordination System, a co-operation framework between the United Nations, the European Commission and disaster managers worldwide to improve alerts, exchange information and enhance co-ordination in the first phases after major sudden-onset disasters.
The University of Zimbabwe is playing a leading role in research and development in the field of earthquake sciences, through its state-of-the-art super computer.