Local communities unite to reclaim gulleys

John Nzira (56) the Managing Member of FEET [standing inside the gulley in Chimene village, Rusape]. The village is settled to the southern slope of the mountain, the road network follows the foot of the mountain hence during the rainy season water comes from the mountain flowing down to the river and it cuts the road, creating gullies. Working with PELUM Zimbabwe Member, Food, Environment and Enterprise Trust (FEET), the community has managed to reclaim one of the major gulleys and construct a water tank to harvest the runoff. Photo: FEET

The community of Chimene village in Rusape, Makoni South ward 26, is working to reclaim gulleys in their village under the prompting and guidance of PELUM Zimbabwe Member, Food, Environment and Enterprise Trust (FEET).

John Nzira (56) the Managing Member of FEET passes through Chimene village when going to visit his relatives and it was during one of these trips that he realized how serious and dangerous gulleys in Chimene village were.

“Gulleys along the main road pose a serious hazard for travellers and many who live in the village are forced to walk long distances because vehicles simply cannot use the road. The cars leave them about a kilometre or more away and they walk the rest of the way to go to their homesteads,” says John.

In December 2019 he decided to stop and have a chat with the community about the situation.

“I stopped and talked to one the residents in the area and we discussed why people are not repairing the road. They told me that people are not united, there is disharmony in the community and conflict because of differences of opinion on other issues,” says John.

His discussion led to an engagement with the local leadership and the wider community. After deciding to fix the gulleys, John and some community members surveyed the landscape.

“We scouted the land and talked to the community to investigate where the water was coming from and plan how to repair the gulleys,” says John.

Through the survey John got a better understanding of the situation and what could be done to address it.

“Every year the water is coming from the mountain, taking the top soil and deepening the gulley, making it more and more difficult to repair each year. I realised that they could apply water and soil management techniques to make sure that the water doesn’t continue to wash away the top soil into the river. That could help them maintain the natural systems,” says John.

“I introduced them to simple techniques for landscape management and we managed to build a (swale) contour ridge and an underground tank. The community contributed most of the required materials for the underground tank,” adds John.

The gulley has been repaired and cars are able to pass. Moreover, it has been converted into a beneficial feature for the community.

“Now cars are able to pass, they are using the swale that we built and when they pass they do not damage the soil in the gulley because they are driving through a contour line and that is important to conserve water and gullies in fragile areas,” says John.

“The gulley was seen as a negative element in the community but we converted the gulley into a functional system and this functional system is now providing water throughout the year for both people and animals. Moreover, they are planting indigenous and fruit trees in the gulley, as well as grasses like vetiver and banner grass which provide good fodder for livestock as well as stabilising the soil,” adds John.

John says the community is now more organised and has even begun planning how to fix another notorious gulley in the village.