Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Mutare Bureau
INDUSTRY in Mutare has raised alarm over worsening pollution in the city’s rivers, warning that untreated effluent and sewage are flowing downstream and threatening communities and ecosystems.
Speaking at the Mutare River Conservation and Business Forum 2026 yesterday, Manicaland president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Mr Bernard Makoni, said the state of the Mutare River has become deplorable.
He said this prompted the industry to seek solutions to curb pollution entering the water system.
Mr Makoni said industries acknowledge that their operations discharge effluent into the city’s sewer system, but stressed that the water leaving treatment works should not endanger communities downstream.
“We are trying to come up with a solution and assist in every way possible so that the water quality flowing downstream is safe and does not affect anyone,” he said.
“The current situation points to deeper problems within the city’s sewer infrastructure, which he described as severely dilapidated.
“The contamination we are seeing is mostly because of the sewer system, which is now dilapidated.
“The responsibility for that lies with the city through its by-laws, while oversight should come from the Environmental Management Agency.”
He added that industry players contribute financially toward the treatment of effluent through monthly payments to the Mutare City Council, but are concerned that pollution levels remain high.
“As an industry, we pay for the treatment of the effluent we send into the sewer system, just like residents pay for services,” said Mr Makoni.
“However, we are concerned because the pollution we are seeing downstream suggests that the money being paid is not translating into proper treatment.”
He said the forum was convened to help stakeholders find practical, lasting solutions to pollution affecting the Sakubva River and its tributaries.
Environmental campaigners who have been monitoring Mutare’s rivers for years said the pollution crisis has persisted for decades with little meaningful progress.
Ms Lynn James of the Mutare Rivers Rehabilitation Initiative said her organisation has spent more than four years engaging authorities in an attempt to address the problem.
“For four and a half years, we have worked with EMA and the City of Mutare, and we have found it incredibly frustrating.
We write letters, we have meetings, we communicate constantly, but we have achieved very little,” she said.
Ms James said the organisation decided to engage the business sector directly in the hope that industry could help push for solutions.
“What we need are solutions. This is a 28-year-old problem. Nearly three decades ago, the city acknowledged the issue and promised to deal with it, but we are now in 2026, and the river is essentially polluted,” she said.
She said the pollution is being worsened not only by industrial discharge and sewer bursts but also by poor waste disposal practices by residents.
“People dump rubbish along the rivers. At almost every bridge crossing, you will find a rubbish dump. Residents also throw items like diapers, clothing and other materials into the sewer system, which causes blockages and leads to sewage spilling into the rivers,” she said.
Communities downstream, like the Dora community, said they are already bearing the brunt of the contamination.
A traditional leader from Dora, Headman Nyakunu, said villagers rely heavily on water flowing from the polluted rivers for daily activities.
“Our communities depend on this water for washing, watering livestock and other household uses.“
However, the water we receive from upstream is dirty and often smells because of sewage and waste being discharged into the rivers,” he said.
He warned that the continued pollution poses a serious health risk to villagers.
“We are worried about diseases because children and livestock come into contact with this water. What happens in the city eventually affects us here,” he said.
Participants at the forum said coordinated action involving industry, residents, environmental groups and authorities will be necessary to restore Mutare’s rivers and protect communities that depend on them.
