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The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has taken Beitbridge Municipality to court over perennial sewer pollution, mostly in high-density suburbs.
Tshitaudze Suburb (formerly Ma Two-rooms) and Kwalu 1 (Mfelandawonye) and Spirit Angels Church, among others, have been the hardest hit by sewer challenges where streams of sewage flow onto the streets.
Some of the effluent flows into Wamlala Stream, which cuts across most of the town’s high density suburbs.
The local authority has been charged for contravening sections of the Environmental Management Act.
EMA’s District Environmental Officer, Mrs Nomphumelelo Chigwinya, said they had been issuing orders to the municipality since 2016 over the continued pollution related to sewer.
“We are concerned with the level of pollution relating to sewer affluent,” she said. “This has been happening since 2016 and we have been issuing the Beitbridge Town Council with orders and in some instances they have rectified the issues.
“However, since the problem is persisting, we have decided to take them to court so that they act with speed. We have tested specimens from the Wamlala Stream and in all cases, we found traces of pollution from sewer affluent.”
Mrs Chigwinya said it had come to their attention that houses in some of the problem areas, especially Mfelandawonye, were built before the installation of proper sewer reticulation facilities.
After realising there was poor sewer gravitation around that area, EMA engaged land developers servicing adjacent suburbs, who have agreed to divert the sewer reticulation to new main sewer trunks.
In Tshitaudze suburb, the municipality has promised to re-work the sewer lines.
Town Engineer, Douglas Siphuma, said the local authority was working on addressing the challenges.
“The challenge in those suburbs is that a lot of solid ingrates and sand have strayed into the sewer line and we have procured a jetting machine to clean the lines,” said Eng Siphuma.
The jetting machine is broken down at the moment and they are hopeful that when it gets fixed and the second machine arrives, council will attend to most hotspots.
Eng Siphuma advised residents to avoid putting solids other than toilet paper, into sewer systems to avoid blockages.
There are plans to upgrade sewer pipes in most suburbs to accommodate the load that comes with property developments in the northern part of the town.
Presently, work to upgrade sewer lines is underway near Dulivhadzimu Stadium, Busy Curvy, new service stations and the medium density suburbs around OJ Business Centre.
Online Reporter