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Harare Bureau
Cabinet is considering stiffer laws to deal with people and companies that deliberately pollute the environment through poisonous emissions, litter, discharge of raw effluent and land degradation, a government minister has said.
Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said this at a welcoming ceremony for Proudly Zimbabwean Foundation’s Fungai Chiposi, who recently completed a 1,000km walk around the country on an anti-littering campaign.
The walk was held under PZF’s BIN-it Zimbabwe flagship programme and took Chiposi from Plumtree to Bulawayo, Gweru, Shurugwi, Birchenough, Mutare and then Harare.
Minister Kasukuwere said in Botswana and the United States, the law was tough on polluters and there was need for such an approach in Zimbabwe.
He praised Proudly Zimbabwean for raising awareness on environmental issues.
“The environment is an inheritance we must hand over intact to the next generation,” Minister Kasukuwere said.
Environmental Management Agency spokesperson Steady Kangata told our Harare Bureau that they were preparing a state of the environment report for presentation to Parliament.
The report will contribute to anti-pollution legislation.
“The report is a statutory requirement to bring out the drives and pressures on resources such as land and water,” he said.
Kangata said they were working with the government and other stakeholders in drafting the report.
Chiposi walked 40km a day during the campaign to deter people from littering the land around highways.
“The campaign was carried out through all five major CBDs of the country as we seek to ignite solution oriented debate along the solid waste management system in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Online Reporter