Abstract. Erosion on roadcuts is a concern due to the potential of causing environmental degradation, which has significant economic costs. It is therefore critical to understand the relationship between roadcut characteristics and soil erosion for designing roadcuts that are less vulnerable to erosion and to help road rehabilitation works. This study investigated the characteristics (i.e. gradient, length, percentage of vegetation cover and soil texture) of degraded (i.e. with rills) and non-degraded roadcuts (i.e. without rills) and explored the relationship of the roadcut characteristics with the dimensions (widths and depths) of the rills. Degraded roadcuts were steep (52.21 • ), long (10.70 m) and had a low percentage of vegetation cover (24.12) when compared to non-degraded roadcuts which had a gradient of 28.24 • , length of 6.38 m and 91.7 % of vegetation cover. Moreover, the gradient and percentage of vegetation cover of the roadcut significantly determine the rill dimensions. The widths and depths of the rills increase with the increase in slope gradient and decrease with an increase in percentage of vegetation cover. Moreover, the widths and depths of the rills decreased downslope of the roadcuts. Based on these results, re-vegetation of roadcuts as well as construction of gentle gradients could minimise rill erosion and hence the negative on-site and off-site effects.

<p>Based on household surveys and key informant interviews, the paper explores the consequences of existing institutional arrangements governing wetland access, utilization and conservation in six wetlands located in communal areas found in the central part of Zimbabwe. This was provoked by the fact that wetland ecosystem services are being lost in most developing countries despite the existence of institutions meant to promote their wise use. The results of the study indicated a complex multi-institutional involvement in wetland resources governance. The roles and relationship of participating institutions often compromised wetland resources conservation as a result of conflicts, confusion and tensions exacerbated by divergent motives. There was no homogeny in number of institutions determining utilization at each wetland as well as their degree of influence on management decisions, a situation resembling lack of consistency in existing institutional structure at communal level. Given the proximity of traditional leaders and wetland committees to the people and wetlands and poor participation of government agencies, an institutional structure which place local institutions at the core of the governance system should be formulated. This should be complemented by a clear framework which promotes inter-co-ordination of institutional roles and clarification of their relationships in order to minimize discord in execution of their duties; a situation observed to currently influence degradation of wetland ecosystems. The necessary policy and legal framework to support this institutional framework should be put in place as well as resources for its operations.  </p>

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Following complaints about water shortages in some areas of Gweru, the paper assessed the availability of enabling capacities to efficiently and sufficiently deliver water to the residents of Gweru in line with the existing level of demand. The key inspected capacity aspects were infrastructure, human resources, finances and physical availability of raw water at source. Purposively selected informants from Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and Gweru city council (GCC) provided data on the infrastructural, financial and human resources situation of GCC. Dam levels data for Gweru's three supply dams were obtained from ZINWA records through the assistance of Sanyati Catchment Hydrologist. The raw water availability was assessed with the aid of MannKendall test using a 10 years period data set from 2003 to 2012 for trend analysis. Findings revealed that the water sources were not experiencing major changes in water levels, to be precise, the changes were insignificant. However, given the increase in population and demand, any slightest negative change in the supply chain would further widen the gap between supply and demand. The study also uncovered that GCC had challenges in terms of the infrastructure, mainly due to financial constraints. Notably, GCC was not experiencing high staff turnover, but it was however, seriously under staffed and failing to effectively monitor water use in the city. Therefore, strong financial injection is required to support staff and resuscitate the reticulation system. Given the perpetual water shortages in Gweru and the status quo in the supply chain, water demand management strategies, wastewater use and consumer education are consequently proposed as measures that would ensure continuous water supply for all needs in the city.

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