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Dr Masimba Mavaza
Some families that have been sustaining livelihoods through collecting garbage at Pomona dumpsite are set to have their lives changed by Geo Pomona Waste Management, the new owners of the place.
An opportunity of identifying recycling skills from those people and creation of formal employment and provision of modern, decent accommodation is a dimension Geo Pomona is bringing to the residents.
This is one of the reasons why the criticism and demonization of the project by the opposition councillors has been unwarranted.
The opposition to the cleaning of the dumpsite is alarming and disturbing.
Geo Pomona, in its wisdom through the executive skills of Mr Delish Nguwaya, its chief executive officer and executive chairman, has examined the health implications associated with the dumpsite and how to come up with a solution.
Despite all being said about the project, Pomona is being transformed into a world class project, generating energy from garbage.
The multi-million investment deal to convert garbage at Harare’s main dumpsite into a safe and inert form has already come to life and has been made a national project.
The City of Harare has officially handed over of the garbage dump to Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited.
The deal involves the setting up of a modern rubbish processing plant that will generate a modest 22MW of electricity.
The project is projected to generate over 300 jobs while the structures are being built and thousands more employment opportunities will be created after the structures are set.
The Pomona issue has been misrepresented for the benefit of those who oppose it.
Mr Nguwaya, under Geogenix BV, an international firm involved in dealing with garbage, is literally creating power from garbage.
While the power generation station at Pomona will be modest, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority already has other small and medium private stations now ready to feed into the grid.
In a joint statement signed by acting Harare town clerk Engineer Mabhena Moyo and Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited country representative Mr Nguwaya and read during the site handover, both parties promised to work harmoniously.
However, the city fathers, who are largely from the opposition CCC, have fought viciously against the project without giving regards to the beneficiaries, who are the city residents.
Instead of thanking the Government for creating a conducive environment for attracting international investors into the energy sector, especially at a time power shortages were a daily challenge, some people have created lies which are meant to rubbish the good project.
The Pomona project is leaving no one behind and is set on contribute to the attainment of Vision 2030.
The project reveals how those who were picking garbage were exposed daily to a myriad of life threatening health problems as they sifted through rubbish heaps for recyclable products.
Mr Nguwaya accepted that given the economic implication of the enterprise, it is important that the residents benefit from intervention programmes that can reduce the adverse health outcomes associated with their job and offered them job opportunities.
The Zimbabwean government has supported the Pomona project by nationalising it for the best interest of its citizens.
The high concentration of people in the emerging urban centres in the developing world has two implications: it leads to increases in waste generation and also creates a large pool of unemployed and underemployed residents with few alternative means of earning a living.
Among the informal activities that have grown in significance in response to the massive urban unemployment is waste collection.
A waste “scavenger” is a person who salvages reusable or recyclable materials to sell or for personal consumption.
Geo Pomona has taken this into account and is creating experts out of the usually looked down upon residents.
Scavenging from the waste stream is an important economic activity that provides income for over 15 million people worldwide, most of whom are in cities in developing countries, and it has a financial impact of several billions of US dollars every year.
Geo Pomona is channelling all this into the mainstream economy, with the project benefiting both the people and the investors.
Waste scavenging is a popular informal activity which depends on the quantity and quality of waste generated by the population.
The proliferation of waste scavengers on the streets and waste dumpsites in Zimbabwe since the early colonial times represents one of the most visible consequences of economic growth which generates more waste.
Mr Nguwaya and his team have examined the economic significance as an efficient livelihood strategy, and the participation of garbage pickers in recycling policies.
Despite the burgeoning literature on this enterprise, scant attention has been paid to the health risks associated with it.
Meanwhile, these waste pickers live and work in unhygienic conditions and the nature of their occupation exposes them to potentially pathogenic bio-aerosols that may lead to the spread of various diseases.
Fleas and offensive odours in waste disposal sites, along with the lack of proper protective devices, make the working conditions even more precarious.
Water pickers collect plastics, paper, glass bottles, rubber materials, and ferrous and non-ferrous metals from dump sites, which can be risky as they are exposed to various infectious agents and toxic substances that may cause illness.
In addition, they face social abuse from certain elements of society, which may lead to social problems. Yet nobody wanted to correct the situation, but people started making noise after Geo Pomona came onto the scene to correct the situation.
As a nation, we must rally behind Geo Pomona’s efforts so that people can enjoy the development being carried out on the site.
[email protected] families that have been sustaining livelihoods through collecting garbage at Pomona dumpsite are set to have their lives changed by Geo Pomona Waste Management, the new owners of the place.
An opportunity of identifying recycling skills from those people and creation of formal employment and provision of modern, decent accommodation is a dimension Geo Pomona is bringing to the residents.
This is one of the reasons why the criticism and demonization of the project by the opposition councillors has been unwarranted.
The opposition to the cleaning of the dumpsite is alarming and disturbing.
Geo Pomona, in its wisdom through the executive skills of Mr Delish Nguwaya, its chief executive officer and executive chairman, has examined the health implications associated with the dumpsite and how to come up with a solution.
Despite all being said about the project, Pomona is being transformed into a world class project, generating energy from garbage.
The multi-million investment deal to convert garbage at Harare’s main dumpsite into a safe and inert form has already come to life and has been made a national project.
The City of Harare has officially handed over of the garbage dump to Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited.
The deal involves the setting up of a modern rubbish processing plant that will generate a modest 22MW of electricity.
The project is projected to generate over 300 jobs while the structures are being built and thousands more employment opportunities will be created after the structures are set.
The Pomona issue has been misrepresented for the benefit of those who oppose it.
Mr Nguwaya, under Geogenix BV, an international firm involved in dealing with garbage, is literally creating power from garbage.
While the power generation station at Pomona will be modest, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority already has other small and medium private stations now ready to feed into the grid.
In a joint statement signed by acting Harare town clerk Engineer Mabhena Moyo and Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited country representative Mr Nguwaya and read during the site handover, both parties promised to work harmoniously.
However, the city fathers, who are largely from the opposition CCC, have fought viciously against the project without giving regards to the beneficiaries, who are the city residents.
Instead of thanking the Government for creating a conducive environment for attracting international investors into the energy sector, especially at a time power shortages were a daily challenge, some people have created lies which are meant to rubbish the good project.
The Pomona project is leaving no one behind and is set on contribute to the attainment of Vision 2030.
The project reveals how those who were picking garbage were exposed daily to a myriad of life threatening health problems as they sifted through rubbish heaps for recyclable products.
Mr Nguwaya accepted that given the economic implication of the enterprise, it is important that the residents benefit from intervention programmes that can reduce the adverse health outcomes associated with their job and offered them job opportunities.
The Zimbabwean government has supported the Pomona project by nationalising it for the best interest of its citizens.
The high concentration of people in the emerging urban centres in the developing world has two implications: it leads to increases in waste generation and also creates a large pool of unemployed and underemployed residents with few alternative means of earning a living.
Among the informal activities that have grown in significance in response to the massive urban unemployment is waste collection.
A waste “scavenger” is a person who salvages reusable or recyclable materials to sell or for personal consumption.
Geo Pomona has taken this into account and is creating experts out of the usually looked down upon residents.
Scavenging from the waste stream is an important economic activity that provides income for over 15 million people worldwide, most of whom are in cities in developing countries, and it has a financial impact of several billions of US dollars every year.
Geo Pomona is channelling all this into the mainstream economy, with the project benefiting both the people and the investors.
Waste scavenging is a popular informal activity which depends on the quantity and quality of waste generated by the population.
The proliferation of waste scavengers on the streets and waste dumpsites in Zimbabwe since the early colonial times represents one of the most visible consequences of economic growth which generates more waste.
Mr Nguwaya and his team have examined the economic significance as an efficient livelihood strategy, and the participation of garbage pickers in recycling policies.
Despite the burgeoning literature on this enterprise, scant attention has been paid to the health risks associated with it.
Meanwhile, these waste pickers live and work in unhygienic conditions and the nature of their occupation exposes them to potentially pathogenic bio-aerosols that may lead to the spread of various diseases.
Fleas and offensive odours in waste disposal sites, along with the lack of proper protective devices, make the working conditions even more precarious.
Water pickers collect plastics, paper, glass bottles, rubber materials, and ferrous and non-ferrous metals from dump sites, which can be risky as they are exposed to various infectious agents and toxic substances that may cause illness.
In addition, they face social abuse from certain elements of society, which may lead to social problems. Yet nobody wanted to correct the situation, but people started making noise after Geo Pomona came onto the scene to correct the situation.
As a nation, we must rally behind Geo Pomona’s efforts so that people can enjoy the development being carried out on the site. –[email protected]
Online Reporter