The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has expressed concern over the proliferation of dumpsites in residential areas saying they have become breeding grounds for disease-causing vectors.
In a statement, EMA Harare Metropolitan Provincial environment manager, Leon Mutungamiri emphasized the need for all stakeholders, including individuals, corporations, communities, and business entities, to adopt best practices in waste management.
“The waste management situation in Harare Metropolitan Province is a cause for concern and requires citizens to take responsibility for their actions. The Environmental Management Agency calls on every citizen, corporate, communities and business entities to embrace best practices in waste management to avoid littering and emergence of dump sites.
“The mushrooming dumpsites in most residential areas provide breeding grounds for disease causing vectors. As EMA, we encourage communities to get organised with every household separating waste at source for uptake by recyclers. Communities will be linked up with recyclers for collection of recyclable waste materials. In the same vein, retailers should separate waste at source and engage a recycler to collect their separated recyclable waste materials,” said Mutungamiri.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Mutungamiri said EMA has increased law enforcement and patrols focused on waste management.
“EMA in partnership with other law enforcement agencies in Harare have up-scaled law enforcement and patrols on waste management. The main targets being those individuals who litter, illegal dumping of waste, public conveyance transport operators without bins, individuals caught throwing litter through the window of vehicles and shop owners without adequate bins in front of their shops. The Environmental Management Agency calls upon every citizen in Harare to reconsider their behaviour and embrace the notion that, a clean environment is everyone’s right and it calls for responsibility and an active role to achieve it,” Mutungamiri said.
EMA’s concern comes at a time the capital is grappling with a cholera outbreak that has seen more than 300 cases being reported in Harare.
