EMA to conduct air quality monitoring in Hwange

Judith Phiri, Business Reporter

THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) will soon conduct a comprehensive ambient air quality monitoring in Hwange’s Ingagula suburb, which has seen residents enduring unprecedented air pollution in the past two years.

The air pollution emanates from the surrounding coke ovens and increased truck movement, with efforts to relocate residents having so many false starts.

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) is, however, constructing more than 500 housing units at its Empumalanga Medium-Low housing project for the relocation of the entire Ingagula suburb as a response to the residents’ concerns.

In an interview, EMA’s environmental education and publicity manager, Ms Amkela Sidange said a follow-up exercise to the 2021 air quality monitoring will be done to ensure the relevant authorities get recommendations on the way forward.

“The agency once conducted air quality monitoring in the Ingagula township of Hwange and the results were shared with the relevant authorities. These were indicating the appropriate measures to take to avert the impact of the quality of air. It is one thing for the relevant authorities to receive the results of the air quality and it is another thing to act on the issues of concern,” she said.

“There are plans by the agency to do another comprehensive ambient air quality monitoring in the same area as a follow-up to the last exercise that was done. EMA remains committed to reporting on the state of the environment to inform decision-making both at the local and national levels.”

She said the agency previously did its part in Ingagula and advised the relevant authorities with recommendations of the appropriate ambient measures to be taken in the situation and under the circumstances that were established vis-à-vis the quality of the air in that area.

Ms Sidange said according to the Statutory Instrument (SI) 72 of 2009 as read with Sections 63 to 65 of the Environmental Management Act Chapter 20:27, the agency is given an obligation to do air quality testing.

“Usually you find that the basis drivers will probably be that there is a certain sample that we need, so it’s sample-specific or it could be due to a need basis especially whereby we want to cross-check or triangulate some certain results that we would have received from a project developer or a certain project,” she added.

“So, we then also do our own testing to really check on the correctness or accuracy of the results that we would have received from a project developer. At the end of the day, a project developer is given the obligation to present to the agency the results of air quality testing on a quarterly basis.”

She said there was need for periodic air quality testing by a project developer to self-check their systems.
Greater Whange Residents Trust co-ordinator, Mr Fidelis Chima said there was need to speed up the relocation of the close to 400 families of Ingagula.

“These families are exposed to high levels of air pollution and it mainly comes from the thermal power plant, coke ovens and movement of haulage trucks that will be ferrying coal. As such, we have seen an increase of people contracting air pollution-related diseases,” he said.

“As an organisation, we have been advocating that the people of Ingagula be relocated to a clean and safe environment where they are not exposed to air pollution.

He said they have engaged various relevant authorities and institutions, with EMA included to call for constant testing and monitoring of the air quality.

Mr Chima applauded efforts that were being done by Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo to convene community meetings to try to address issues of air pollution and other impacts that are related to mining in Ingagula and other parts of Hwange.

Hwange Local Board (HLB) Ward 3 Councillor, Bryn Chikumbo is also on record stating that residents of Ingagula were sitting on a serious health time bomb with dust rising from the movement of haulage trucks clouding the entire suburb.

He said they have made efforts to engage companies whose haulage trucks use the road near the suburb to suppress the dust but not much has been done.