Call to remove dumpsite grow louder

Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
Residents in Masvingo city’s Runyararo West suburb are up in arms with council over continued pollution from the local authority’s bloated dumpsite, amid calls for its decommissioning. There are fears among residents in the populous suburb that failure to urgently decommission the dumpsite might spark an outbreak of diseases in the area.

Runyararo West residents spokesperson Mr Tendai Chuma told The Herald that council was exposing them to a health risk by failing to manage the dumpsite that he said was emitting a bad spell that occasionally envelopes the entire suburb. Mr Chuma said the situation was worsened by suspected street children who were in the habit of burning tyres to warm themselves at night, leaving parts of the suburb covered in plumes of black choking smoke.

“We are facing a very serious health risk in Runyararo West because of the deteriorating situation at the council dumpsite near the suburb. The dumpsite is now emitting a stinking smell and we think it has outlived its lifespan and must now be decommissioned. Council has to do something and save us from potential health hazards like cholera, typhoid and other water-borne diseases,” he said.

Mr Chuma accused council of being indifferent to the health risk posed by the dumpsite to residents in Runyararo West. Masvingo United Ratepayers and Residents Alliance (MURRA) spokesperson Mr Godfrey Mutimba said decommissioning of the dumpsite was long overdue. He said getting rid of the dumpsite would avert a health disaster in the suburb.