Tinotenda Hove – Youth and traditional leaders in Gutu have petitioned the Devure Sub Catchment Council over escalating water shortages blamed on the activities of a brick moulding company. Villagers are now appealing to the Government and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for swift intervention as rivers and sacred pools run dry.

The Young Farmers Group (YFG), part of the Youth Empowerment and Skills Development Association (YESDA), joined by more than ten village heads, is demanding the immediate shutdown of a commercial brick moulding project at Chisheche Business Centre. According to the petitioners, the project has severely depleted the Mukuro and Nyamashato rivers—water sources that locals say have never dried up to this extent in decades.

Situated roughly 10 kilometres from Mpandawana Growth Point, the brick moulding operation has forced villagers to trek up to 15 kilometres in search of water for their livestock. Community gardens have collapsed, and several residents have reported that the dried-up pools include sacred sites, while the business continues to operate in sensitive wetland areas. The company is also accused of extracting water illegally, a claim supported by water resources data from the Devure Sub Catchment Council.

The petition, drafted in October 2025, was addressed to the manager of the Devure Catchment Council, the Gutu Rural District Council, and the EMA. It calls for the project to be halted immediately to prevent further environmental damage and protect local livelihoods.

The Devure Sub Catchment Council operates under the Water Act of 2000 and Statutory Instrument 209 of 2000, within the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

The action taken by Gutu’s youth and traditional leaders highlights growing grassroots frustration over unchecked natural resource exploitation. As rivers disappear and cultural sites vanish, communities fear for their survival and heritage. Their demand to stop the brick moulding project is a call for accountability—one rooted in the need to protect water security, livelihoods, and the environment.