HARARE Metropolitan province has over 2 000 illegal dumpsites, according to a mapping exercise done by the Environmental Management Agency (Ema).
Environment, Climate and Wildlife minister Mangaliso Ndlovu revealed this during a national clean-up revitalisation solid waste campaign in Harare on Monday.
Ndlovu, however, said 862 of the illegal dumpsites have been cleared.
“Drainage systems are clogged, overflowing with litter. Sanitary lanes are now dumpsites. Our highways are strewn with litter,” he said.
“This is the sad state of sanitation in our cities and towns. With this state of affairs, it is not surprising that year in and year out we experience cholera and typhoid outbreaks.”
In July, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared Harare waste management a state of disaster.
In a Statutory Instrument 140 of 2023, government expressed concern over the poor state of the environment in the capital and ordered Harare City Council to co-ordinate campaigns, do regular refuse collection and establish designated waste transfer stations.
Ndlovu said: “However, the local authorities in Harare Metropolitan Province have not been able to ensure regular collection of waste mainly due to inadequate waste management equipment.
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“Further, the Ema has not been capacitated to deal with its new mandate through SI 140 of 2023. We await release of funds from the Treasury for the programme to succeed.”
Ndlovu said a statutory instrument on its own cannot eradicate litter as he urged citizens to act responsibly.
“Finally, it is not the SI that will ensure we eradicate this scourge threatening our dignity, but rather our commitment to duty and our ability to bring everyone on board. We have a mammoth task of clearing litter in our country, and work should start now.”
