adminA parliamentary portfolio committee on Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism said some of the fines being imposed on people and local authorities were not being paid.
The legislators agreed that EMA needed more teeth to make it effective. Committee chairperson, Mr Misheck Shoko was tabling a second report on Waste Disposal and Management in Harare and Chitungwiza.
“It was the Committee’s finding that local authorities do not respond to or make payments if they are issued with tickets by EMA,” said Mr Shoko who is also Chitungwiza South MP (MDC-T).
The fines are not paid either because the councils do not have the money or EMA does not have the teeth. We recommend that EMA should have options for custodial sentence.
On wetlands, the Committee noted that there was no clear, common understanding.
“Urban planners are knowingly flouting this critical provision thereby destroying the nation’s environment. We recommend that EMA should spearhead the wetland redefining process and ensures that town planners and all stakeholders have common understanding regarding wetlands,” said Mr Shoko.
Online Reporter