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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
VICE President Kembo Mohadi has said local authorities must adopt proper waste management systems as that helps in averting disasters and diseases.
The VP said this when he officiated at the National Clean-Up Day exercise in Victoria Falls yesterday.
VP Mohadi said it is mandatory for local authorities to develop environmental action plans in terms of Section 95 of the Environmental Management Act.
He commended Victoria Falls Municipality, the hospitality industry and residents for making the resort town the cleanest town in Zimbabwe.
“Given the challenges of waste management in the country, I call upon local authorities to think outside the box and implement sound and integrated waste management systems that ensure recycling for positive proper disposal of waste,” he said.
The VP handed a $300 000 cheque to Victoria Falls Municipality for construction of a dumpsite landfill to enhance integrated solid waste management.
The money was released through the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
“I’m reliably informed that the town’s dumpsite is prone to fires which pollute our air and the waste remains scattered into the environment which is an eyesore. It’s encouraging that EMA has contributed $300 000 for the construction of the landfill. I therefore call upon the local authority to identify partners for the construction of a standard landfill,” said VP Mohadi.
He said the mission of environment cleaning Day was beyond politics.
“We’re united together on this day in the deep sense of patriotism and national becoming. Zimbabwe is our space, the only space we have, we have to look after it so that it looks after us,” said VP Mohadi.
The Vice President who was accompanied by Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira and Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs Minister Richard Moyo, visited the Victoria Falls Hotel’s waste management site.
The hotel makes compost from waste material and use the compost in their garden.
The VP said Zimbabwe’s integrated solid management waste plan suggests that 90 percent of the country’s solid waste is either reusable, recyclable or bio-degradable and can be decomposed into other uses.
He encouraged members of the public to separate waste at source that is at home, school, church and workplace.
Meanwhile in Bulawayo, the Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Judith Ncube expressed concern over empty beer bottles strewn all over the city mainly near bottle stores saying they are a hazard to other road users
Speaking during the national clean-up campaign in the city yesterday, Cde Ncube urged bottle store owners to warn their patrons against public drinking.
“We are asking for support from those that have businesses to put up rubbish bins so that people realise that all rubbish must be thrown into the bins. Bottle store owners must know that a licence for bottle store does not mean that there must be public drinking,” said Cde Ncube.
“Public drinking is rampant because we have not encouraged people to buy and drink at appropriate places which maybe at home or other social places. When they drink from here they then throw away the bottles or leave them on the roads which is a danger to other road users.”
She said the clean up campaign which starts at 8AM and ends on 10AM on the first Friday of every month was now a lot easier to undertake in Bulawayo due to the support of various stakeholders such as corporates, Government Ministries, schools, organisations and residents among others who will be all over the city cleaning.
EMA provincial manager, Mr Descent Ndlovu, paid tribute to all companies and stakeholders who have embraced the concept saying they have helped ensure that the campaign bears fruit in Bulawayo.
He also encouraged commuter omnibus operators and drivers to ensure that passengers do not throw litter out of windows.
In Midlands province, Government officials and members of the corporate world gathered for the national clean-up day at Escrow Shopping Centre in Makwasha suburb, Zvishavane yesterday. Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Larry Mavima said the province has held more than 300 campaigns to date.
“This programme has since its inception seen more than 300 clean up campaigns being undertaken across the province. On a local level, the programme has been a success but our worry is the re-emergence of litter dumps along sanitary lanes, open spaces, storm drains and along our highways,” he said.
In Masvingo province the exercise was conducted at the banana market in Chiredzi’s Tshobani Township and it was led by Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira and members of Joint Operation Command (JOC) as well as officials from Environmental Management Agency (EMA) among others.
“We should keep our environment clean as vendors. The town council should also place refuse bins in many places to discourage residents from throwing litter everywhere,” said Minister Chadzamira.
Town secretary Mr Charles Muchatukwa said council was committed to keeping Chiredzi Town clean and appealed to residents to help the local authority to achieve this.
“We chose to clean the banana market because that is where a lot of litter is found given the nature of the business here,” said Mr Muchatukwa.
In Umguza, the local authourity joined hands with Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) for the clean-up.
Umguza Rural District Council (RDC) Council Chairperson Mr Alexander Mhlanga said if they find a partner, they can start recycling waste.
He said council has already engaged PPC as a partner to assist them in waste collection.
Mr Mhlanga said the council is striving for zero tolerance to litter so that they meet section 73 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which states that every person has the right to environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being.
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