Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has begun the process of decontaminating a stretch of the Mutetenwa River in Ward 7 of Beitbridge, where a 13-year-old boy poured a poisonous herbicide into the water.
The river supplies water to livestock and people from at least five villages.
The incident occurred on Monday last week when the teenager administered Abamectin Liquid Formula into the river for a yet-to-be-determined motive.
According to the product’s fact sheet, the substance may be harmful if inhaled, could cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure, and is highly toxic to aquatic life, with long-lasting effects.
The community was thrown into panic following the death of large numbers of fish along a 2km stretch of the river and one donkey that had allegedly consumed water heavily contaminated with the poison.
EMA’s Regional Manager for Matabeleland South Province, Mr Decent Ndlovu, who visited the site on Tuesday, said the agency had started the decontamination process.
“We are already on the ground as part of the Civil Protection Committee (Matabeleland South). We have conducted initial tests and are now neutralising the contaminated water source,” he said.
“As a precautionary measure, we have carried out an assessment and applied activated carbon, which absorbs the chemical to decontaminate the water source after suspected poisoning. We have collected samples from the area where the insecticide was administered and the section where the fish deaths were highly concentrated.
“We are going to take the samples for full laboratory verification and will monitor the water source for close to two weeks before making a final pronouncement on the state of the water,” Mr Ndlovu added.
He expressed concern over the incident, urging the public to monitor children and keep hazardous chemicals out of their reach.
“Farmers who use pesticides should handle them carefully and ensure they are not dumped in canals, reservoirs, or water sources. They should also dispose of containers properly to avoid the recurrence of such incidents,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu also warned community members against using herbs, insecticides, or herbicides as fishing methods, as this endangers both human lives and ecosystems.
He stated that his team would continue monitoring the river until conclusive laboratory results are obtained.
Mr Ndlovu emphasised that protecting the environment is a collective responsibility and not the sole duty of EMA.
derick.khumalo