Increasing hazard risk knowledge through geotechnology and geospatial modelling in Chipinge and Chimanimani Districts

Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, located in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe are prone to multiple hydrogeological and meteorological hazards that negatively affect the livelihoods of communities living therein. These hazards include landslides, floods, tropical cyclones, droughts and prolonged dry spells. To this end, Terre des hommes Italia (TDH-IT) with funding from DG-ECHO working together with the University of Zimbabwe, Department of Geography Geospatial Sciences and Earth Observation, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) and Department of Civil Protection (DCP) implemented a project titled Integrated Protection, Education in Emergencies and Disaster Risk Reduction in multi-hazard areas of Chipinge and Chimanimani districts. The selection of the two districts was based on their susceptibility to multiple hazards based on a review of literature on past disasters that affected the country. The project employed several methods to gather baseline data on natural hazards including desk reviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, geospatial modelling, validation and spatial mapping. The results of the project indicated that the two districts are affected by several natural hazards with the most frequently occurring hazards in order of intensity and geographic extent being cyclone-induced floods, drought, flash floods, landslides, and strong winds (whirlwind). The impacts of natural hazards on human livelihoods in the district were regarded as severe with cyclone Idai which was experienced in 2019 regarded as the worst disaster ever recorded. The results of landslide susceptibility modelling indicated that Chimanimani district has the largest area that is highly susceptible to landslides while the larger part of Chipinge district has low susceptibility. In this regard, the hotspot areas for landslides are mostly in the Chimanimani district where the greatest damage to infrastructure and loss of humans was greatly felt during cyclone Idai. In addition, droughts were observed to occur frequently in the lower parts of the two districts particularly those falling in agroecological 4 and 5. The results of the study are important to guide land-use planning, development of early warning systems, strengthening community-based disaster risk reduction efforts and community awareness programmes.