daniel chigunwe
Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
The Joint Operations Command (JOC) has expressed satisfaction with the operations at the Geo Pomona Waste Management facility situated in Harare.
The JOC toured the facility yesterday, led by Geo Pomona executive chairman and chief executive officer, Dr Dilesh Nguwaya, to have an appreciation of its operations.
JOC chairman Brigadier-General Fidelis Mhonda said the establishment of the facility was “a good move” aimed at addressing Harare’s waste management challenges.
“Generally, as the JOC Harare, this is our area of responsibility,” he said.
“We came here so that we can witness this project. Generally, this project is very important because it serves the whole of Harare.
“We need a clean Harare and if we have a lot of waste around Harare, what it means is diseases are going to be there.
“So, this company is going to solve all that.”
Brig-Gen Mhonda noted that Geo Pomona is well-positioned to tackle the waste management issues in Harare, which is essential for public health.
He added that the JOC plans to assist the waste management firm wherever possible, believing that a healthy population is crucial for the city’s productivity.
“If we have a population of Harare which is healthy and fit to go and work out there, what it means is we (will not) have any problem in Harare,” he said.
Once fully operational, the Geo Pomona facility will incinerate 1 000 tonnes of waste daily, generating between 16MW and 22MW of electricity to be fed into the national grid.
Brig-Gen Mhonda highlighted the importance of this development for Zimbabwe’s agro-industry, particularly given the ongoing issues with electricity shortages.
“It is very important, Zimbabwe is an agro-industry, we need electricity.
“If you go out there, there is a lot of load shedding, we want to grow maize, we also want our companies to go ahead and do whatever business without interruption of shortage of electricity.
“So, it is going to add value and more hours so, our population is going to enjoy that. I think it is a very good move from this company,” said Brig-Gen Mhonda.
On his part, Dr Nguwaya announced that the sorting plant facility is expected to be completed by the end of February.
“As Geo Pomona, we started this sorting plant facility, and we started the installation on the 1st of January.”
Engineers from Türkiye are finalising the installation, with both mechanical and electrical engineers involved in the process.
“So far, we have mechanical engineers and also the electrical engineers who are going to arrive (tonight) to come and do the final touches of the electrical parts of this sorting plant to make sure it is going to work by the end of February,” said Dr Nguwaya.
The JOC’s visit underscores the importance of the Geo Pomona Waste Management facility in promoting a sustainable and healthy environment in Harare while also contributing to the national energy needs.
Online Reporter