daniel chigunwe
Blessings Chidakwa and Ivan Zhakata
The conversion of the simple earth-fill Pomona dumpsite to a modern garbage plant that will supply energy from the methane generated by rotting waste is progressing, at least in the planning stages, as the deal between Harare City Council and German investor GeoGenix BV moves along.
The present dump, which sees garbage just heaped and then covered with earth, is considered very old fashioned and dangerous, with several major fires over the years.
Acting city spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende said the council was in discussions with a foreign company with a view to come up with a waste-to-energy project.
“We are currently engaged in talks with a foreign company with a view to come up with a waste-to-energy project which will solve the perennial problems at Pomona dumpsite.
“Government has already okayed the project. We are now working on the necessary council procedures to ensure the project becomes a reality,” he said.
On Thursday, Acting Harare mayor Stewart Mutizwa said a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed while an international consultant will start doing the feasibility studies next week.
“The Pomona project is going ahead and it has the Cabinet and council approval,” he said.
“Anytime from next week, the people will be on the ground to start the work. The number one aspect on our deal is that we are going to set out the quantities and quality of the energy that we are going to generate.”
Mayor Mutizwa said the partner was coming with resources that will see council improving in terms of how waste is managed.
“We are going to do waste to energy and also to rehabilitate the dumpsite itself so that the dumping areas will be cleared. So far as it stands it is very difficult to dump at Pomona. We want to do the proper waste management and rehabilitation.
“We want to make proper value addition out of the waste that is being generated into our communities. All this long we have just been dumping and leaving it there, but it was also finding its way back into the community. That is one area we want to solve by making sure we can produce power from the waste,” he said, adding that it was a very unsolicited bid.
“We flighted a tender for Pomona rehabilitation five years back and it has been in and out failing to find an investor. Now we are happy we finally got one,” he said.
Mayor Mutizwa said the council was also going to improve on door-to-door refuse collection by making sure vehicles were maintained and having consistency on door to door delivery.
Acting town clerk Mr Mabhena Moyo said the feasibility studies will be conducted by a reputable international consultant at a cost to be paid by their partners.
GeoGenix BV representative Mr Mauro Bianchi who met council officials last month, said the project would have a positive impact on Harare as going green was the way to go.
Online Reporter