Harare garbage stench worsens

Primrose Zimano Herald Reporter

The piles of uncollected garbage in Harare city centre continue growing as more vendors sell vegetables and shops are operated without even a single bin.

A concerned resident Mrs Patience Nyamunda expressed concern over the city council’s continued failure to deliver adequate services.

“I am frustrated by the trash that is accumulating in the streets.

“It is no longer the sunshine city we used to know.

“We are paying rates yet there are no services,” she said.

Mr Trynos Makunga said it was a pity that garbage was not collected even in the crisis of a cholera outbreak that has been claiming lives.

“Our city council should at least be a bit sensitive. We are battling a cholera crisis and they should have channelled more resources to refuse collection and sewer bursts, but we are simply on our own,” he said.

Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Stanley Gama said the issue is beyond control as the city removes litter daily but within hours it would have accumulated.

“Garbage is removed every day during evenings but by 9 am everyday it will have accumulated,” he said.

“We call it night owl where we are pulling huge resources to clear Harare rubbish during the night,” he said.

Mr Gama said the council also come up with stern measures to punish those who willy nilly dump litter or fail to observe council by-laws on litter.

“To make sure we stop this behaviour you will notice that our municipal police have departments which have started enforcing the law that any shop owner or his or her employees found dumping rubbish at skip points will have the business fined US$385 while individuals are fined US$38,” he said.

“Also, business premises are supposed to have bins outside their premises and if they do not comply with this, they will be fined and the shop risks being closed,” he said.

A health expert Dr Johannes Marisa said litter is becoming a nuisance which is causing a lot of problems. “Garbage can obstruct water flow which worsens water-borne diseases when there is water contamination which causes cholera, typhoid and dysentery and many other diseases,” he said.