Several villagers told The Zimbabwean they fear their animals might be at risk as the few dip tanks seem to be overworked.
“In this area we have only one plunge dip tank and the number of cattle is too large. Some of us have to walk our cattle for a distance of 10km to reach the dip tank,” said Passmore Chirigo of Boyo village.
Ward 6 of Honde Valley in Mutasa North has one plunge dip tank, built during the colonial era, which caters for close to 200 farmers.
Robert Duri of Chipupuri village expressed his disappointment over the Department of Veterinary Services’ failure to build more dip tanks after independence , while the numbers of livestock continue to rise.
“The department has failed us. We lose a number of cattle every year, especially during the rainy season, which I suspect is being caused by the fact that the dip tanks are not meeting the number of cattle that are supposed to be dipped,” he fumed.
In Ward 7 there are only two dip tanks – one located in Chipupuri built in 1954 and the other in Dumba area.
Tendai Tori of Sanhewe village also took a swipe at the Department of Veterinary Services for failing to dispatch the dipping chemicals on time, leaving the animals at risk of contracting diseases.
“Most of the time we are told that there are no chemicals and this is disheartening as this exposes our animals to diseases,” he said. Efforts to get a comment from the Department of Veterinary Services were futile at the time of going to press.
Post published in: News