adminThe tour is meant to show reporters examples of environmental malpractice in the town.
EMA’s Masvingo education and publicity officer Mr Davison Kaphaizi said the agency decided to take media personnel through a familiarisation exercise in areas it thought reflected maximum care of the environment and others that gave an opposite picture.
He said journalists were supposed to have an appreciation of the environment and the importance of preserving natural surroundings.
“This is an exercise that EMA undertakes every year. In Masvingo, we are doing it on Monday, the 16th of April. We will cover areas like Chiredzi where we will visit environments that have been adversely affected by human activities and those that have been well-preserved,” said Mr Kaphaizi.
The publicity officer said EMA’s aim was for the media to have an understanding of the significance of protecting the environment.
“The agenda of such tours is for journalists to have an appreciation on the impact of human activity on our environment and the importance of preserving our ecosystem. Journalists serve a great purpose in taking the information to the public domain and by so doing they remain important stakeholders in our bid to protect the environment.
“We want them to be our ambassadors and they should report issues pertaining to the environment from an informed point of view.
“EMA’s relationship with the media is very sound and this is one among many activities that the agency is doing in partnership with journalists in Masvingo.
“Our main aim is for the public to have information that will assist them in protecting our environment against pollution and some unscrupulous people who would deliberately or inadvertently disturb the environment.”
Mr Kaphizi also took the opportunity to praise the local authority, Masvingo City Council and mining companies in the province for operating within the confines of the Environmental Management Act.
“As EMA, Masvingo we are happy with the way our city fathers guard against the pollution of our environment. This shows that they are adhering to waste management acts that spell out the different categories of waste and how it can be disposed. Mining companies are also doing the same as they have good waste management plans,” he said.
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