Harare City Council sued for leaving perennial streams of sewerage
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has sued the City of Harare after the local authority had failed to decisively solve perennial sewerage streams that flow in most parts of the city posing health hazards to residents and the environment.
By Desire Tshuma
Environmental Management Agency Provincial Environment Manager for Harare Mr Robson Mavondo has told News of the South that they have engaged the Harare City Council on several times on issues of managing the sewage leaks but all the efforts fell to the deaf ears.
‘It has been a long time we discussed about these sewage leakages with the City of Harare but they do not take any action to solve this as a result we have taken our issue to the High Court of Zimbabwe ‘ said Mr Mavondo.
City of Harare Mr Lisben Chifunde who is the Head City Environmental Management Unit Mr. Lisben Chipfunde which is housed in the Town Clerk’s office , said the Covid-19 lockdown has slowed down the the replacement of the old pipes as they had made a contract with a South African based company for the supply and fitting of new steel pipes that cannot easily become eroded.
“We have engaged the government for them to allow this contracted South Africa company to open borders for them to come and do the job regardless of the lockdown ‘ said Mr Mafunde .
This reporter visited Mufakose where there are some burst pipes on wetlands and people have put their gardens some few metres from the flowing sewage.
Mufakose resident Edward Raposwa said he grew up in Mufakose and this problem of sewage has been there since ten years ago.
‘We wonder why they come and view the burst sewage pipes here without taking any action , they come driving different top of the range cars and go , is it the shortage of money to buy those pipes but why do they manage to buy those cars they drive ‘ said Edward Raposwa.
‘Over forty million metric litres of water is lost every day from the burst sewage which should be used in the Harare City Farm to water grass for cattle consumption ‘ said Engineer Victor Musikavhanu .
The Environmental Management Agency representative Amkela Sidange said: “The environment is suffering , we as EMA won’t fold our hands and on this , that is why we have taken the matter to the High Court.”
Flowing sewage is the order of the day in Harare and this has been happening several years while the City fathers are seen driving very expensive cars each time and living high life in the low density surbubs .
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