Fires

By Lynette Simango

“Raging veld fire kills 10 farm workers”- a newspaper reported a few days ago. May their souls rest in peace. A similar situation happened in Murehwa in this village where a headman lost control of the fire and it destroyed most of people’s stuff including their gardens and grazing land. Fortunately, no one died but many were left nursing broken hearts. ‘What will our livestock survive on? ” They asked themselves. “Where will we get fresh veges for our meals?” One could tell how devastated they were about this whole ordeal.

As a community have we actually failed to control veld fires or are people that reckless? In situations like this one, are the perpetrators fined? What if the perpetrator is the Headman, Chief etc. how do we go about it?

How do we prevent these fires? All depends on whether it is caused by human activities or the nature itself. For the former, there is need for a lot of awareness programs on veld fires. Once you understand that being ignorant will put someone in danger then you will excel in preventing the fire. We also need to stay prepared that would mean increasing research and monitoring activities with regard to fire management. Once the fire breaks out, have grass beaters handy to extinguish the fire. You can also make use of sand if water is not readily available.

After all has been said, it’s important to call for help and stop risking your lives trying to put it out.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *