Lethal Chitown dumpsite!
ANY life-threatening accident or incident demands that corrective measures be taken where need be but sadly this is not always the case.
The Chitungwiza local authority is yet to address the hazards caused by the unsecured municipal dumpsite, which continues to claim lives over the past few years.
Residents are wondering what it will take for the council to act as it seems death is not bad enough.
Residents’ anger has been re-ignited by the recent tragic loss of Nyashadzashe Govha on August 12 after spending a year in hospital from burns at the dumpsite.
Nyashadzashe now joins a seemingly growing list of minors that have succumbed to serious burns sustained at the dumpsite.
The boy finally lost his brave fight in hospital. He suffered burnt hands and legs after stepping onto hot ash dunes allegedly dumped by a cooking oil manufacturing company, Surface Wilmar.
Late last year, another 12-year-old, Voster Wenhamo died at Chinhoyi General Hospital due to burns sustained at the same dumpsite.
Several other victims have sustained life-threatening injuries due to toxic chemicals and hot ashes.
“We are still checking our records for actual details but I know of two more deaths we registered at our institution that were as a result of burns sustained at the dumpsite. Another victim, Marlon Maruta was discharged from this hospital after showing signs of recovery,” said Chitungwiza Central Hospital’s public relations officer, Mrs Audrey Tasaranarwo.
Agitation
Residents are riled by the municipality’s reluctance to act despite rising tragic incidents.
Juliet Gwenere who stays close to the dumpsite argues the tragic loss of lives at the waste-yard is a result of council’s negligence and lethargy.
“I knew Nyashadzashe and the loss pains me. I also know of another child who was burnt by those ashes a few years ago, we have always lodged complaints but the council seems unmoved,” she said.
“We have resorted to strictly monitoring our kids and periodically advising them not to go to the dumpsite. However, it is proving to be a challenge due to the lockdown as kids are not going to school. They are spending the whole day at home with nothing to keep them busy so they tend to venture into dangerous places such as the dumpsite.”
Worryingly, the local authority is yet to secure the dumpsite.
This is despite claims by inside sources that they have already received funds to do so.
“We are being soft on them. Drastic actions can help. Chitungwiza residents should stop paying their rates until council resolves this issue. We cannot keep on losing lives due to slackness. We have a crisis at hand,” said one furious mourner at Nyashadzashe’s funeral wake.
However, Chitungwiza Municipality’s spokesperson Mr Lovemore Meya said they were working on the issue but residents are not convinced anything is being done.
“We are now implementing a new protocol whereby they will mix waste with the sand so that they neutralise the ashes. This should have started some time back but the company has since stopped operating due to the lockdown,” revealed Mr Meya.
“Likewise, we are working with Surface Willmar to secure the bio-hazardous substances that they re-produce as a result of industrial work. We have given the company its dedicated area at the dumpsite. Measures to secure the area are already afoot. We have called for tenders.”
The director for Chitungwiza Residents Trust Mrs Alice Kuvheya stressed that securing the place should now be a priority.
She feels enough has been said about the issue and it is time to act.
“There is a greater risk of losing more lives if the situation is not addressed urgently. As Chitungwiza community we are saddened by the death of Nyashadzashe and our main wish is for the family to get compensation from Chitungwiza Council,” said Mrs Kuvheya.
The law
Nyashadzashe’s father, Mr Chamunorwa Govha, had earlier on filed a police report against Chitungwiza municipality following his son’s mishap. The case is before the courts.
However, indications from his legal team are that the charges will now be altered since the case involves loss of life.
“My child died a painful death after spending the whole year lying on a hospital bed. He had 25-degree burns and I am still traumatised because he suffered a lot. The matter is still with the courts and we are supposed to go back before month-end. I wish for justice to prevail and corrective measures to be taken so that other families do not go through this kind of trauma again,” said Mr Govha during the funeral.
Initially, Nyashadzashe’s parents and other residents wanted to sue both Chitungwiza Municipality and Surface Wilmar, which has a plant along the new Chitungwiza Road.
The cooking oil manufacturing company’s chief executive officer, Mr Sylvester Mangani, shifted blame to the local authority.
Human rights lawyer Dr Musa Kika, who works for Justice for Children Trust said municipal councils are legally, ethically and morally bound to follow proper waste disposal protocols.
“The dereliction of this obligation that we have witnessed stems from non-accountability. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) must monitor, fine municipalities for non-compliance and force the risky and unsafe dumpsites to close,” said Dr Kika.
The Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, he added, was supposed to step up in times of crisis.
“In the absence of appetite to act, this case requires those of us in civil society to step in and sue the municipal council and also to seek an order for EMA to execute its mandate. We are already in the process of acting on this.”
EMA is a statutory body responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment, prevention of pollution and environmental degradation.
Projects lawyer Mr Wilbert Mandinde whose firm is representing the victims at the courts, said pure negligence is at play on the council’s part.
“The local authority should regulate companies that are dumping hazardous substances within the residential area. We are concerned that there are no signs to warn people about the dangers involved at the place,” notes Mr Mandinde.
“The local authority which is in charge of the place should make sure that those fires or hot ashes that are burning people are not there. We have since received instructions to take legal action against the council and we are doing so with the assistance of the children’s parents. We do sympathise with the bereaved family wh who lost their child because of t this mishap,” he adds. EM EMA Harare provincial environme ronmental education and publicity officer Ms Batsirai Sibanda also points to lax laxity.
“Our investig investigations revealed that Surface Wilmar is licensed by the local authority to dump spent earth at the dumpsite. In this regard, EMA served Chitungwiza Municipality with an Environmental Protection Order (EPO) which stipulated that the local authority should fence off the dumpsite to restrict access especially on the property of flammability of spend earth.
“Another EPO was served to Surface Wilmar to pre-treat their waste before disposal at the dumpsite. It is unfortunate that to date Chitungwiza Municipality has not complied with the order issued to fence off the dumpsite,” said Ms Sibanda.
The EMA official said Surface Wilmar had since complied with the order given to them and are now disposing of their hazardous waste at a new and secure site. Environmental experts say waste generation and disposal are grave environmental challenges in many urban areas, particularly in developing countries, and continue to grow due to consumption patterns and economic growth.
“The Agency encourages industry to comply with the environmental legislation and to pre-treat effluent or hazardous waste before dumping to prevent environmental pollution and protect human health,” adds Ms Sibanda.
Proposal
Meanwhile, Mr Govha who pleaded through this publication for assistance with mounting medical bills said he got assistance from the social welfare.
Nyashadzashe’s funeral wake was held in Chitungwiza and he was buried on August 14 at their rural home in Hwedza.