EMA, residents fight Chinhoyi council
CHINHOYI residents and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) have criticised the Chinhoyi Municipality for discharging sewage into the Manyame River, violating health and environmental regulations.
Despite past cautions and fines by EMA, council is also under fire for not collecting refuse, particularly in high density areas, leading to the accumulation of illegal dumpsites.
Chinhoyi Residents Association coordinator Mr Peter Liwanda on Wednesday said there was need for council to urgently address the environmental issue as it had become a health time bomb.
EMA provincial education and publicity head, Mr Munyaradzi Nhariswa, was critical of poor adherence to environmental regulations by most councils in the province.
“We have problems with local authorities across the province regarding various areas including the whole value chain of waste management.
“The coming in of devolution funds has seen so much noise on the issues that are being prioritised but waste management is one of them,” he said.
Town Engineer Simon Marara confirmed that Chinhoyi was discharging sewage into Manyame River but said most sewage going into the environment was partially treated, however not to the required standard.
“As a council, we are unable to fully treat the sewage at the moment due to a number of reasons and challenges including vandalism and theft of pump station transformers and electricity cables.
“A case in point here is the Fernlea pump station and we are at an advanced stage of procuring a replacement transformer,” he said.
Eng Marara added that the frequent pump failures to Chaedza pump station were affecting sewage treatment but said construction of a gravity sewer line to correct that challenge was over 90 percent complete.
“The challenges we are facing are well known by EMA and our parent ministry (Local Government and Public Works),” said Eng Marara.
The Herald visited some of the major points, one behind Chinhoyi University of Technology Hotel and at Fernlea pump station that directly discharge sewage into the river, threatening the environment and people downstream including those in Makonde’s Ward 6, who see the river as a source for drinking water.
EMA fines or cautions councils or organisations for violation of environmental regulations, but Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, recently called for stiffer penalties on polluters.