BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION FACULTY OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY THE EFFECTS OF TOKWE-MUKOSI DAM-INDUCED FLOODS ON HOUSEHOLDS: A CASE STUDY OF WARD 24, CHIVI DISTRICT BY SUNDUZA CHALLENGE B1335895 A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY (FACULTY OF SCIENCE), IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE HONOURS DEGREE IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES APRIL 2017 1 DECLARATION I, Challenge Sunduza, (B1335895), do hereby declare that this research project is a result of my own work, original investigations and efforts. It has been presented elsewhere for the purpose of degree assessment. All additional sources of information have been acknowledged by means of references. STUDENT ………………………………… 28 APRIL 2017 Signature Date i APPROVAL The undersigned certifies that he has read the research project and has approved its submission for marking after confirming that it conforms to the departmental requirements. Mr. E. Pedzisai (Project Supervisor) ………………………………… 28 APRIL 2017 Signature Date ii RELEASE FORM BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION NAME OF AUTHOR SUNDUZA CHALLENGE B1335895 DISSERTATION TITLE: The effects of the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam-induced floods on the households: A case study of Ward 24, Chivi District. DEGREE TO WHICH THE DISSERTATION WILL BE PRESENTED: Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Development Studies YEAR GRANTED: APRIL 2017 Permission is hereby granted to Bindura University of Science Education to produce copies of this dissertation only for academic purpose only SIGNED _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ DATE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ APRIL 2017 iii DEDICATION To my mother Esther Sithole, Sister Irene Sunduza and Brother Sunduza K. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “And he said, my presence will go with you, and l will give you rest” (Exodus 33; 14) My supreme gratitude is accredited to the Almighty God for his steadfastness love, divine favor and mercy for giving me the capacity to be where l am right now. Secondly, my profound thanks go to my Project Supervisor Mr. E. Pedzisai for introducing me to the interesting world of GIS and related field of remote sensing, not forgetting his variant efforts, priceless knowledge, unwavering support and guidance which led to the successful completion of this project. I would also like to appreciate the contribution made by CARE International in providing this study with secondary data essential for this research. I extend my hearty thanks to Higher Life Foundation for their financial support in my academics. Beyond doubt, behind every success exists some invisible and unsung heroes who contribute support, I could not have made it this far without the help of Mr. Musodza, my friends Tsitsi and Ellton for their valuable guidance, constant encouragement, immense motivation which has sustained my efforts at all the stages of this project. I appreciate and value your love. I am highly indebted to my young brother Kisswell, the whole family and relatives for their financial support and prayers, constructive criticism and motivation which enabled my academic dreams to come to its culmination. They have been always there for me during the ups and downs in my life. Thank You. v ABSTRACT Dam projects are widely viewed as development initiatives. However, they also bring disastrous losses to the local community. Tokwe-Mukosi Dam project threatened the socio-economic wellbeing of the local households even before its completion as dam construction commenced before all the households had been relocated. This study mapped and created an inventory of the affected households by the dam-induced flood. In mapping the affected households, the methodology for this study was based on two ways, firstly capturing social information from the sampled households using interviews, field work, questionnaires and secondary data and secondly, importing the spatial information (household coordinates)into a GIS.A random sample size of 245 (24%) households was selected. A current Landsat 8 image was used to identify the present water of the Dam. Overlay calculations on households and water level helped to identify vulnerable households who have been directly affected by the flood as well as predicting those to be affected at full capacity. Results obtained indicate that58% of households were within the flood zone. These households were coupled with infrastructural damage of a 60% majority (243 out of 406) of the huts and a 32% minority of the 90 out of 279 houses directly affected by the flood. The relocation worsened the socio-economic life of the households due to majority lacking compensation (72%), loss of important productive assets including a 41% loss of cattle and 38% drop in number of goats. The study concludes that development-induced floods are prominent in dam construction projects and they cause serious socio-economic losses to local households. With that in mind the study recommends timeous compensation and relocation to affected households before the project commences.GIS through flood maps should be used to map affected households and help plan for compensation or relocation priorities. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE Declaration .................................................................................................................................. i Approval ..................................................................................................................................... ii Release form .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication ................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... v Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... vi Table of contents ...................................................................................................................... vii List of figures ............................................................................................................................ xi List of tables ............................................................................................................................. xii List of plates ............................................................................................................................ xiii List of acronyms ...................................................................................................................... xiv List of appendices ..................................................................................................................... xv Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background to the study ............................................................................................... 1 1.3 Statement of the problem .............................................................................................. 3 1.4 Justification to the study ............................................................................................... 4 1.5 Aim of the study ........................................................................................................... 4 1.5.1 Objectives of the study ................................................................................................... 4 1.5.2 Research questions ......................................................................................................... 4 1.6 Delimitation to the study .................................................................................................. 4 1.7 Study area ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.7.1 Description of the study area .......................................................................................... 5 1.8 Definition of terms........................................................................................................ 6 1.9 Organisation of the study .............................................................................................. 7 1.10. Chapter summary .......................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2: Literature review ....................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Definition and types of dams ........................................................................................ 8 2.3 History of dams ............................................................................................................ 8 vii 2.3.1 Worldwide................................................................................................................. 8 2.3.2 Dams in southern africa .......................................................................................... 10 2.3.3 Local context ..........................................................................................................