Chipinge dam disaster: Minister urges regular dam checks

BY TRUST BVARANGA AT NEWCASTLE

A devastating dam wall collapse at Newcastle in Chipinge has prompted Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Development, Vangelis Haritatos, to emphasise the importance of regular dam checks.

The catastrophic event occurred on Sunday, March 10, when the Chiwaya Dam, shared by Remeredzai Jombo and Reggie Bandama at Lot 2, Newcastle, collapsed due to excess of its carrying capacity of 850 mega liters of water due to heavy rains.

The disaster resulted in the loss of seven lives, with five bodies recovered so far. The flooding waters also destroyed infrastructure, including water pumps and electrical motors, causing significant damage to crops and affecting production in the area.

Deputy Minister Haritatos urged farmers to form committees to oversee the safety of water bodies and conduct regular checks on dam walls to prevent similar disasters. He also urged the need for residents living in areas prone to disaster to evacuate immediately.

As farmers, you must form committees that oversee the safety of water bodies. This shall help to coordinate efforts to check the strength of dam walls regularly in order to avoid disasters such as this at Chiwaya.

Residents living in areas prone to danger should evacuate those areas as a precautionary measure. No one should refuse to vacate, he said.

Concurring with the minister during the visit to Sakabuya-Sanyanga Dam, District Development Coordinator (DDC) for Chipinge, William Mashava outlined that the flood from Chiwaya Dam had destroyed infrastructure that included water pumps along the way to the river thus negatively affecting production in the area.

He was disturbed by reports that another dam in Newcastle is on the verge of collapse. DDC William Mashava warned nearby residents to vacate the area with immediate effect.

Speaking on the sidelines of the visit, Councilor Lazarus Dhliwayo indicated that Danhonyi Bridge, which connects Rattleshook and Chipinge town in Candabel, was completely swept away.

He estimated that the Chiwaya Dam disaster loss can be estimated to be between US$60,000 and US$70 000 (putting into consideration of pump houses, electrical motors and crops destroyed).