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Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has had one of its dockets pertaining to their illegal discharging of sewer into the environment referred to court for prosecution as the local authority’s fight with the Environmental Management Agency escalates.
BCC and EMA have over the years constantly clashed over sewer discharge into Umguza and Khami rivers.
According to a council report, the local authority’s chamber secretary early this month wrote to council requesting BCC engineering services director, Engineer Simela Dube to represent the local authority at the court hearing.
She however, did not mention when the court appearance is due.
“It will be noted that the breakdown in our sewer lines has inevitably led to council discharging sewer into the environment. Discharge of raw sewer into the environment is a criminal offence and the Environmental Management Agency reported council to the police for prosecution.
“We currently have three dockets pending and one of them has since been referred to court for prosecution. Authority is hereby sought from council to appoint Mr Simela Dube to be the council representative in all the matters involving EMA,” reads the report.
The discharge of raw effluent by council and industry has over the years posed health risks to rural communities who rely on the affected rivers for domestic consumption and to water their livestock.
BCC was in 2017 convicted of polluting water sources by failing to treat raw sewage and industrial effluent.
Online Reporter