Chronicle EditorWalter Nyamukondiwa Mashonaland West Bureau
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has raised the red flag over sewer treatment plants in Mashonaland West that are discharging partially treated or raw effluent into critical water bodies.
EMA singled out Kariba, Chegutu, Kadoma, Chinhoyi and Norton as the major culprits. Semi-functional plants have resulted in effluent being discharged into rivers and dams before the final stages of processing, resulting in pollution of the environment.
In Kariba, residents are fishing in sewer ponds because they are not fenced, putting themselves at risk of contracting water-borne diseases. According to a report from EMA, Kariba Municipality is discharging effluent into Kariba Dam through a burst pipe.
“Effluent that was being discharged from the final discharge point, which is downstream of Kariba Dam, exhibited a greenish colour,” read EMA’s report. The effluent flows nearly three kilometres to the Zambezi River. Kariba Town Council said there were plans to create an artificial wetland to further treat nutrients in the effluent.
The nutrients in the effluent support the growth of weeds such as the water hyacinth, which spreads rapidly, affecting aquatic life. Sources at the council said some ground had been covered in rectifying the problem. Kadoma City Council is also facing similar challenges with their Visa and Rimuka sewer plants and Ingezi and) Rio sewer ponds spilling through broken pipes.
The Ingezi sewer ponds have emerged as a valuable source of water for artisanal gold miners. The Rimuka Sewer Plant has not been operational since 2015 owing to a vandalised transformer, with at least $12 500 needed to replace the transformer. A docket for illegal discharge of effluent into the environment, CR113 /6/ 17 has since been opened against Kadoma City Council.
Norton is discharging partially treated effluent into Darwendale Dam and raw effluent into Manyame River because of a broken pump that conveys effluent to Green Acres plant.
“There is remarkable improvement at Norton sewage plants”, EMA noted.
“The bypassing of effluent into newly desludged ponds is compromising the quality of effluent being discharged into Darwendale,” reads the report. The council is still discharging effluent into Manyame because the pump that was supposed to convey effluent to Green Acres has not been resuscitated. Chinhoyi Municipality is discharging partially treated and untreated sewerage into Manyame River, as council sewage treatment plants are not working.
Online Reporter