Chronicle Editor
Midlands Bureau
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has taken Kwekwe City Council to court after the local authority declined to pay a fine of about $50 000 for allegedly discharging effluent into the city’s water bodies.
According to the local authority, EMA demanded the hefty fine saying council had contravened the Environmental Management Act which governs and prohibits wanton discharging of effluent and solid waste into water bodies.
“The council, however, declined to pay such a fine and the EMA Midlands chapter, headed by the provincial manager Mr Benson Bhasera later approached the courts to have their case heard. This was after the fine was tabled before a council meeting but councillors turned it down arguing the local authority was in financial distress and could not part with such a huge amount,” said a council source.
Mr Bhasera confirmed the development saying the agency was now waiting for the matter to be heard before the courts.
He said the local authority was posing a health hazard by failing to manage sewer reticulation and discharging effluent into water sources.
“We are suing Kwekwe city for discharging pollutants in public water bodies which is in breach of the Environmental Management Act Chapter 20:27 Section 57s (1) of 2017. Under the act, local authorities and or companies are prohibited from discharging toxic or poisonous substances into public water bodies, rivers and or streams,” he said.
Mr Bhasera said EMA has also ordered the local authority to rectify the issue before the residents were exposed to contaminated water.
“We have directed the local authority to rectify [it] but their argument is that their sewer and water reticulation system can no longer cope with the growing population but that is not an excuse, we are now waiting for the court dates so that the matter can be heard,” he said.
Kwekwe City Mayor, Councillor Angeline Kasipo also confirmed the matter but said she could not comment over it since it was now before the courts.
Bongani Ndlovu