THE Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has petitioned Parliament over the extraction of gravel at Warren Hills by more than 25 companies, saying the activities could have an impact on the climate.
The association said the ongoing extraction activities, which were not regulated by rules from the city council, would have devastating effects in the future.
There are indications that the companies operating at the hills are moving close to a tank which supplies residents with water as well as a telecommunications base station next to the tank.
Further indications also reveal that there were no formal tenders issued for gravel extraction in the area while companies that win construction projects are granted permission to extract gravel from Warren Hills mountain, subject to paying royalty fees to the Harare City Council.
In the petition dated September 9, 2024, CHRA said it was concerned over the reluctance of the City of Harare to address the issue as it is the one with the sole responsibility of granting licences to businesses and individuals in Harare.
CHRA condemned the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for remaining quiet on the matter while taking no action to arrest or fine the companies and individuals who have been causing serious land degradation in Warren Park.
“Worried that as Zimbabwe we are signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and in the face of climate change we seem not to be taking the protection of the environment seriously.
“Also that the local authority has been silent and not taking any active measures to ensure that the environment is protected and safeguarded from destruction,” the residents association said.
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“The petitioner beseeches the Parliament of Zimbabwe to summon the City of Harare to explain gravel extraction activities being conducted in Warren Park Hills, share a list and number of companies involved in gravel extraction, present [details of] the revenue generated by the City of Harare from January 2023 to June 2024 from gravel extraction activities, including the tonnage of gravel extracted from the hills from January 2023 to June 2024 and present the licences of the individuals and companies who are extracting gravel in Warren Park Hills.”
It said Parliament should summon EMA to appear before the House and present the environmental impact assessment reports for gravel extraction activities being conducted in Warren Park Hills, including the environmental impact assessment certificates.”
The residents association called on EMA to review the Environmental Management Act and ensure that it adheres to the UNFCCC to which it is a signatory.
“The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and Parliament need to review the environmental impact assessment process and provisions in the Environmental Management Act and expedite the process to enact the Climate Bill into law,” CHRA said in the petition.
Warren Park Residents Associations chairperson Nixon Nyikadzino said it was critical to note that gravel extraction was being done not on a tender basis, but on a request to Harare Quarry, a subsidiary of the Harare City Council.
“In that regard, what has been happening is that it has become critically difficult for us to understand the level of land degradation that is taking place and even the tonnage that has been taken from place,” he said.
“We continue to want to audit the level of damage that is taking place on the mountain and it is in that regard that if you see or read the document that came from the City of Harare, it only claims, I think, about 19 companies have been mining gravel.”
CHRA director Reuben Akili said they were expecting to hear from Parliament, adding that there would be meeting the chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment this week.
