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SI 7/2007 says any operation, including cultivation, should be at least 30 metres from the highest flood level of any river, stream or natural waterways. It also prohibits cultivation on wetlands, hill tops or steep slopes.
The agency said it fined local authorities up to $5 000 per instance, for failing to enforce bylaws that prohibited the practice.
Debating the issue at the council meeting, Councillor Siboniso Khumalo of Ward 27 asked what council would be doing about illegal cultivation this year.
“Last year we told residents that their crops would be slashed if they planted them at illegal areas.
Most residents complied and some did not. When slashing was not done those who followed the law harvested nothing and those who planted on stream banks had bumper harvests,” said Clr Khumalo.
The Mayor, Clr Thaba Moyo said there should be concern for the environment, adding that this year, council would descend on illegal cropping and fine residents.
“If as a councillor, you are afraid of being unpopular by telling the people the truth, then you do not deserve to be in office,” said Clr Moyo.
A number of councillors said such decisions should be announced early instead of slashing tusseling crops as that was highly provocative to residents.
Councillors agreed to carry out awareness campaigns to make residents understand the importance of not farming in prohibited areas.
In a recent interview, EMA’s publicity and education officer Mr Steady Kangata, said there were numerous environmental and health side effects caused by illegal cultivation.
“The first obvious effects of stream bank cultivation are soil erosion, siltation of dams and clogging of drains.
“The other not so obvious ones include poisoning of aquatic life and humans by pesticides used on crops and eutrophication of water sources,” he said.
Mr Kangata said most of the water that flows through cities finds its way to supply dams and can cause illness to residents if it gets contaminated by pesticides.
“Eutrophication is when the environment and water sources become enriched with nutrients, usually washed into dams and other reservoirs, from crops grown on stream banks. This can be a problem in aquatic habitats such as lakes as it can cause algal blooms. This bloom of algae disrupts normal ecosystem functioning and causes many problems,” Mr Kangata said.
“The bloom of algae may also block sunlight from photosynthetic plants under the water surface. Some algae even produce toxins that are harmful to higher forms of life. This can cause problems along the food chain and affect any animal that feeds on them,” he said.
Mr Kangata said it was ideal for local authorities to carry out awareness campaigns to alert residents on the dangers of cultivating in restricted areas.
Last year, EMA and other stakeholders that include the police, the Bulawayo City Council, schools and residents, carried out extensive awareness campaigns on the dangers of Environmental degradation.
A recurring theme was climate change and stream bank cultivation.
A pupil from Luveve High School said stream bank cultivation caused soil erosion, resulting in siltation, which reduces the carrying capacity of rivers and streams.
The pupil said this increased the incidence of floods and cited the case of the Nkulumane 5 houses, in which residents lost property worth thousands of dollars through floods when storm drains were clogged by silt in 2008.
Online Reporter