A SMALL holder farmer in Manningdale, Bulawayo lost more than $8 000 of potatoes after almost a hectare of the crop was washed away by flooding after a privately owned dam in the area started spilling on Saturday morning.
NDUDUZO TSHUMA STAFF REPORTER
A manager at the plot Frank Shoriwa said they were forced to prematurely harvest part of the potato crop after the spilling water washed away the top soil leaving the potatoes exposed.
“The dam spilled a week before last Saturday, but there was no effect. The rains fell again last Saturday and the overflow was so serious and affected the potato crop. We had grown some ground nuts but they were not much,” he said.
“After the potatoes were exposed, we were forced to harvest the crop prematurely.
“We have managed to harvest 17 tonnes but our projected harvest was 30 tonnes. Some of the crop started rotting because of the mud.”
Shoriwa said their plot was the most affected because of its proximity to the dam.
“We heard from people who stayed here for many years that the last time this dam spilled was 30 years ago,” he said.
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Another local said the dam hardly had any water in recent years.
Ward 4 councillor Silas Chigora said the damage was minimal on the infrastructure although small holder farmers lost their crops.
“There was a lot of environmental damage. If you go downstream, you will see that the roads, trees and vegetation were destroyed along the banks due to flooding. Some small holder farmers also lost their potato crops,” he said.
“A few houses developed cracks because of the water while one precast wall collapsed but no fatalities were recorded.”
Chigora bemoaned the failure by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) to report to the scene of the spill leaving the work in the hands of the Bulawayo City Council fire department.
“The government departments have to be seen doing something to assist families in emergencies like these,” he said.
“The CPU and the army were nowhere to be seen on the day of the flooding.”
