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Blessings ChidakwaLifestyle Reporter
From smelly dumpsites to relaxing public parks: The alluring tale of the new look Pomona Waste Management and former Golden Quarry dumpsite.
Surely, recreational facilities can be fashioned out of old garbage dumps.
Yes, it is not as bad as it ‘smells’ though.
Two years back it never rang in the mind of many that Pomona dumpsite could one day be turned into a modern waste management site housing recreational facilities.
A restaurant for that matter! Of course, with soccer pitch, basketball and tennis courts. The main business of the place is waste management and it is going on smoothly.
As for the sporting facilities works have already started and they are underway. The conversion of a dumpsite into a recreational facility is something that has been done elsewhere. Harare’s decommissioned Golden Quarry dumpsite has been reclaimed to pave way for the construction of Museum of African Liberation, upmarket apartments, a five-star hotel, shopping malls, amusement and theme parks.
All this is now housed under the Liberation City. A visit at the once dumpsite shows that construction of a shopping mall is on course with a service station having been set up. A restaurant that sells traditional foods is also situated in the Liberation City.
Even across Africa, in Kenya the rehabilitated Kibarani dumpsite in Mombasa has been transformed into a recreational park and tourist attraction site.
The 20-acre dump once stenchy, Kibarani landfill, that contained yards of waste and fill, was converted into an ecological park.
All it takes is only a man with a vision to have the ability to think a plan beyond imagination simply executing wisdom.
As of the Geo Pomona Waste Management its past no longer matters, but for the sake of others I will delve a little bit.
The former Pomona dumpsite used to be a thorn in the flesh characterised with perennial fires every year, flooding, air pollution leading to public health issues such as respiratory ailments, diarrhoea and dengue fever.
It used to teem with pesky flies, maggots and rummaging dogs all thriving in the slimy, sticky mixture of all sorts of decaying garbage. On a good day, surrounding residential areas were treated to waves of nauseating odour and in the worst case, they could go for weeks on end blanketed in thick oily smoke from burning litter.
To imagine that one day such a place would house a restaurant was just unthinkable. Things have now changed not for good but for the best.
As one approaches the now ‘waste management site’ the eyes are treated to an attention-grabbing palisade fence and eloquent offices which may force one to easily forget that it was once a dumpsite.
A tree line and a refreshing green lawn complete the new look.
Standard asphalt for soccer pitch, basketball and tennis courts are also underway.
For internal infrastructure signage at the main gate has been done, signage showing directions for the recreational area has been completed, while a parking lot close to the offices and the weighbridge has been paved and marked.
President Mnangagwa commissioned the new look Pomona waste management saying it should be replicated countrywide being a clear example of Public Private Partnerships.
The President said it serves as testament to the Government’s commitment to seeing communities transform to world-class standards, where residents enjoy the ambiance of modern built environments
“The Geo-Pomona Waste-to-Energy Project highlights the confidence investors have in the conducive business environment which has been fostered by the Second Republic.
“Further, it attests to the positive results that can be derived from mutually beneficial partnerships between the public and private sectors,” he said.
The chief executive officer and executive chairman of Geo Pomona Waste Management managing the site, Mr Dilesh Nguwaya owes the vision to the Second Republic.
“This project is an offspring of the Second Republic’s commitment to create clean cities and is the first of the numerous projects we intend to initiate across the entire country,” he said.
“As part of our corporate social responsibility agenda, we will be installing five state of the art recreational facilities on the site: a soccer field, two basketball courts, two tennis courts, changing room and a restaurant.”
Speaking during the commencement of the construction of the multi-million-dollar Museum of African Liberation, Institute of African Knowledge Chief Executive Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said conversion of the dumpsite was the way to go.
Ambassador Muzavazi speaking on renaming of the Golden Quarry dumpsite said “It will be called the liberation city which consists of the Museum of African Liberation, five star hotel, an amusement park, recreational park, animal park and a shopping mall.”
He said the museum is also of paramount importance as it will boost forex inflows through tourists visiting the country.
“There will also be employment creation through business units set to operate in the Liberation City. It will also house a state-of-the-art conference centre ready to host international summits. There will be a state-of-the-art hotel. This is a legacy of the new dispensation,” he said.
To those that will visit the facilities wish you a great time.
A Chisipite resident, Mr Tafadzwa Rupapa said creation of a restaurent at a waste management site was something unique and western. “It is out of this world that one can be served food at a waste management site. I just want to get the first hand experience so that l know how it is like eating at that place,” he said.
An athlete Miss Yolanda Munaku said inclusion of recreational facilities at waste management site is the way to go. “The increase of recreational facilities in the country is something commendable especially considering that it is utilising idle land being used as a dumpsite,” she said.
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