Climate Change Hits Mana Pools National Park
One of Zimbabwe’s leading tourist attractions and home to 350 bird species and large mammals, Mana Pools, is slowly dying due to the effects of climate change.
According to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife (Zimparks), three pools in the National park dried up during the 2019 drought.
The name Mana Pools was derived from the Shona word “Mana” which means “Four” in reference to the park’s four large pools which are the remnants of ox-bow lakes carved out by the Zambezi River when it changed its course.
Since 1963, Mana Pools has been a protected area known for its four pools namely Green, Chine, Chisasiko and the Long pool which is 7 kilometres.
Zimparks Area Manager for Mana Pools, Edmore Ngosi revealed that since 2019, Chine Pool has been struggling to hold water throughout the year largely due to siltation as a result of land degradation. Said Ngosi:
Since 2019 because of the effects of climate change due to global warming, that is when this pool, Chine Pool dried up together with Green Pool and the Long Pool.
Siltation is taking place, there is a lot of erosion that is taking place as evidenced by the Gullies.
There is a lot of erosion that is taking place in the catchment area and this has resulted in the siltation of the pool and in the process resulting in the low water levels.
Once we start receiving rains, the pool will fill up but around mid-August it loses its water.
