By Elishamai A Ziumbwa
Harare Residents have called on the government to urgently pass stronger environmental laws to protect the Upper Manyame Catchment area and save Lake Chivero the capital’s main water source from worsening pollution.
The appeal was made at the launch of the Save Lake Chivero Campaign in Harare where residents’ groups warned that unchecked industrial waste and weak enforcement are destroying rivers, dams and lakes in the catchment.
Chairperson of the Harare Metropolitan Residents Forum (HAMREF) Marvellous Kumalo said communities must be empowered to play an active role in monitoring pollution and holding offenders to account.
“Government must prioritise laws that give power to communities, strengthen oversight, and ensure sustainable environmental management,” Kumalo said
He said the campaign promotes a no to pollute and relocate approach, saying Lake Chivero, a designated Ramsar site must be protected at all costs.
Reuben Akili, Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) director warned that pollution in the catchment has reached alarming levels with the Mukuvisi River a key tributary now contaminated with industrial waste, agrochemicals, mercury and even traces of cyanide.
“Our research shows existing laws are fragmented and inconsistently enforced,” Akili said, adding that the Water Act and the Environmental Management Act are not aligned.
Akili also accused the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and local authorities of failing to enforce regulations noting that more than 300 industries are operating without waste pre-treatment facilities in violation of environmental law.
“The ‘polluter pays’ principle has been misapplied. Industries are simply paying fines as a cost of doing business while continuing to pollute. It’s now cheaper for them to break the law than comply,” he said.
As part of the campaign, CHRA says it will mobilise communities, litigate against polluters and pressure government to reform water governance.
“This is no longer just about dirty rivers. It’s about whether Harare will still have clean drinking water in the years ahead,” Akili said.
