CHARLES Tawengwa, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province, has called for a collective effort in preserving wetlands and waste management as the country prepares to host the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15) in July.
The COP15 meeting will run from July 23 to 31 in Victoria Falls.
Tawengwa made the remarks in a speech read on his behalf by the acting director of Infrastructure Planning and Environmental Management, Herbert Parichi, at the national clean up event held last Friday in Chitungwiza.
“As the nation prepares for the hosting of COP15, the focus will be on removing waste from our wetlands or waste dumped near wetland areas, which, if not removed, will pollute our wetlands,” Tawengwa said.
“It is disheartening to find post-consumer waste from manufacturing companies scattered all over, polluting our land and wetlands; surely there is a need to follow up on your products. Companies can go a step further by incentivising communities to take back the post-consumer waste through a deposit system or running competitions.”
He said waste management was a collective responsibility.
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“I would like to thank everyone here at Unit O, Chitungwiza, for participating with enthusiasm in today’s national clean-up programme. To all sectors within the province, I would like to encourage you to continue rolling out best practices in waste management, which for now remain a cornerstone towards attaining a clean, safe and healthy environment,” he said.
“Complementary effort is, however, required from our vendors, public service vehicles, the general public and the local authorities in order to complete the chain of action and ensure participation by all in waste management.”
Acting Chitungwiza town clerk Evangelista Machona said the local authority would jealously safeguard the remaining wetlands.
“Wetlands purify our water, protect us from flooding and regulate our climate. By preserving them we safeguard our health, livelihoods and communities, ensuring a better quality of life for present and future generations,” she said.
“In Chitungwiza, these have been severely impacted by human activities such as pollution, deforestation and land invasion by barons. These have threatened the very existence of these vital ecosystems. The municipality is jealously guarding and protecting the remaining wetlands through sustainable conservation efforts.”
Chitungwiza mayor Rosaria Mangoma hailed residents for their commitment to participation in national clean up campaigns.