Corruption and greed destroy our wetlands

An apt United Nations graphic on why wetlands should not be built upon – something some of us have been saying for years, but no-one took any notice in drier seasons in the recent past. 

    Much rain this season and housing and other developments on the wetlands have been flooded out and property destroyed. Corruption in town planning and the greed of illegal ‘land barons’ have destroyed the natural purpose of many wetlands – wet, moist, marshy, swampy areas – supplying proper drainage into water courses, ponds, lakes and dams. 

    This year’s floods, houses and businesses washed away: you were warned. 

    Our Zimbabwe government, when criticized for allowing a massive Chinese-built shopping mall and leisure complex on one wide stretch of Harare wetlands, said then: we can’t let a few lizards and frogs stand in the way of our urban development.