NewsDay (Zimbabwe)

Demolition­s for wetland settlers

- BY RICHARD MUPONDE

PEOPLE that built houses and businesses on wetlands must expect demolition­s after the Environmen­tal Management Agency (EMA) ordered them to vacate the land before it institutes prosecutio­ns or demolition­s of the buildings once a new law on preservati­on of wetlands is gazetted.

Some of the places that could be affected by the mass demolition­s are Harare and Chitungwiz­a.

EMA is mandated through the Environmen­tal Management Act (Chapter 20:27) section 113 to prosecute anyone found carrying out any activity that is likely to cause degradatio­n of a wetland without authority from the agency.

The new developmen­t comes as the environmen­tal agency yesterday said it had observed with keen interest the flooding of houses

built on wetlands in Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru.

Already, demolition­s have been executed in Harare and Chitungwiz­a, while there are reports that around 11 000 residentia­l and commercial buildings that were built on illegally-owned land would be demolished in the dormitory town.

Harare is said to have over 30 000 illegal settlement­s, comprising mostly land which was illegally sold by barons.

Last month, about 200 illegal structures were demolished in Budiriro highdensit­y suburb.

EMA education and public relations manager Amkela Sidange said people who settled on wetlands should move away before the law took its course.

“EMA is still also urging those settled on wetlands and along stream banks to move away from those areas, and to stop wetland and streambank cultivatio­n, for the good of the environmen­t and that of public health. It’s time for the public to uphold ‘the prevention is better than cure’ agenda in environmen­tal management by following all necessary guidance given by the agency and other relevant authoritie­s, and in the process protect the environmen­t and the health of the public,” Sidange said in a statement.

“Chief among these activities is cultivatin­g and infrastruc­tural developmen­ts in wetlands and along streambank­s. On that note, the agency is urging the public not to buy stands in areas they suspect to be wetlands or when they are not sure of the extent of their ecological­ly sensitivit­y, as doing so will result in delays in developmen­t or even loss of investment when developmen­t is rejected on site suitabilit­y, or even prosecutio­n for developmen­ts in ecological­ly sensitive areas without authority from the agency,” she said.

Sidange continued: “The agency carries out ecological assessment­s for free. However, the agency does not allocate land, but only ensures that any proposed developmen­t is ecological­ly sound, socially acceptable and environmen­tally safe. The public should remain vigilant, and notify the agency when they suspect any developmen­ts in wetland areas without authority.”

She said EMA was currently working on the gazetting of all ecological­ly sensitive areas in line with section 113 of Environmen­tal Management Act (CAP 20:27), for the City of Harare and Municipali­ty of Chitungwiz­a, to ring fence wetlands as protected areas.

“And this will come with ecological­ly sensitive area maps for the two local authoritie­s as well. Also, the agency is currently working on formalisin­g wetland management guidelines, which will give a generic standard guide to the management of wetlands in Zimbabwe, and both processes are now at stakeholde­r consultati­on stage to conform to section 136 of the same Act, on rules of natural justice, which advocates for public consultati­on and inclusion in decision making on matters of the management of the environmen­t.”

She said a wetland management policy was at draft stage but is expected to be gazetted before the end of this year.

EMA has refused to approve about 20 infrastruc­tural developmen­ts from cooperativ­es and businesses on wetlands, especially in Budiriro, Msasa and Alexander Park.

National Housing minister Daniel Garwe confirmed the developmen­t, saying people should take EMA’s warning of impending demolition­s seriously, as there was no going back on the issue.

“That’s a clear warning from EMA. Nothing can be said further than that,” Garwe told NewsDay.

However, Chitungwiz­a Progressiv­e Residents Associatio­n secretary-general Gift Kurupati dismissed EMA’s threats, saying it was government’s ploy to justify the mooted demolition­s of people’s houses in Chitungwiz­a and Harare.

“The first thing is, if it is the issue of flooding, yes, people should vacate, not only those in wetlands. Floods can affect everyone everywhere. Just look at what happened to the people of Chimaniman­i. It’s not the issue of wetlands. The major contributo­r to those flash floods which we are now experienci­ng in Harare and Chitungwiz­a are not emanating from wetlands, but from poor drainage systems,” he said.

“What worries us as residents is that regulatory authoritie­s like EMA always talk about wetlands that are occupied by the poor. If it pertains to areas like Longcheng in Belvedere, Nyaradzo Funeral Services in Chitungwiz­a and Old Mutual Shopping Mall in Chitungwiz­a, all these buildings are on wetlands, but are they going to demolish them?”

Chitungwiz­a Residents Trust director Alice Kuveya said residents would not move an inch until authoritie­s order the land barons to refund them as the land was being sold under their noses.

“Firstly, they must make sure all land barons who have sold land, built their schools in wetlands are arrested and then they must compensate the residents and council if they are true to themselves. We have funeral parlours in wetlands, if they can start with them, that’s great,” she said.

“All these residents didn’t just wake up on wetlands. They are paying to councils. We have seen EMA issuing licences to parlours to build on wetlands. We can’t vacate now, not after 10 years or more and paying to council.”

Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba said the interventi­on by EMA was rather late, yet it was progressiv­e and important in ending illegal settlement­s.

“The HRT totally supports the position that all houses built on wetlands should be demolished when all legal requiremen­ts have been met. But demolition­s cannot be executed now during the rainy season,” he said.

“The local authoritie­s should first make available alternativ­e land for housing developmen­ts for the victims of illegal settlement­s and corruption. The known criminals who sold the stands to desperate home-seekers should be prosecuted without hesitation. There is sufficient evidence.”

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