Chief Mathema appeals for govt support to mitigate climate change impacts
By Staff Reporter
Chief Mathema from Gwanda North Constituency, Matabelaland South province has made a passionate appeal to the government of Zimbabwe to offer financial support towards climate change mitigation in his area.
Matabeleland South province is one of the areas reeling from the effects of climate change and the El-Nino induced drought.
“Climate change is a sad reality that we are faced with in Matabeleland South. We have seen quite a number of cattle dying, people starving. There is a drastic change in the rainfall pattens and even myself I never attempted to plough anything during last farming season because I could tell the weather was not conducive for farming. As the Chief of the area, I think we need government assistance because we have rivers and small streams where we could make dams because we are failing to assess underground water. If we invest in dams, we may have better water sources,” said Chief Mathema.
Chief Mathema was speaking on the sidelines of the National Residents Summit hosted by the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) and the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) in Bulawayo from October 1-2.
The Summit, held under the theme, “Towards Water Justice and Climate Resilience deliberated on water and climate change issues within Zimbabwe.
The meeting resolved that residents’ associations across the country will collectively engage with government and other stakeholders on climate change as part of advocacy efforts to demand water and climate justice.
Addressing climate change is key towards the achievement of the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), noted the residents’ associations.
Part of the Resolutions from the Residents’ Summit reads, “Residents Associations will collectively advocate for the completion of the Matabeleland Zambezi and Kunzvi Dam projects as a matter of urgency. The completion of these projects is crucial for climate resilience in helping mitigate drought and water scarcity, enhancing water security, supporting agriculture and industries and promoting renewable energy through hydro-electric power generation.”
The residents’ associations also pledged to lobby the government to increase budgetary allocations towards water in the 2025 national budget.
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