Harare wetlands trust through the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights (ZLHR) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to City of Harare (CoH), the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council (UMSCC) to immediately stop endangering the lives of people and animals through decontaminating Lake Chivero and stop the discharge of raw sewage effluent into the capital city’s primary water source.
This comes after the release of a press statement by Zimparks alerting to the death of 4 rhinos due to contamination from cyanobacteria in the water. sources at Lake Chivero.
Three zebras, four wildebeests, four fish eagles and an undisclosed number of cattle and goats from nearby farms have also died due to the cyanobacteria contamination.
Reports also show that aqua life has also not been spared.
According to ZLHR, Harare Wetlands Trust demanded that the state-run body, EMA should urgently conduct water quality tests at Lake Chivero to ascertain the extent and levels of the cyanobacteria pollution and serve an Environmental Protection Order on CoH directing it to immediately take measures to decontaminate Lake Chivero and to immediately stop discharging raw sewage effluent into Lake Chivero and also serve an Environmental Protection Order on UMSCC directing it to take urgent steps to stop the cyanobacteria pollution in Lake Chivero and to decontaminate Lake Chivero.
The environmental and water rights lobbyists said in terms of section 10 of the Environmental Management Act, EMA is reposed with a host of statutory duties, which include regulating and monitoring the disposal, treatment and recycling of waste, regulating and monitoring the discharge or emission of any pollutant or hazardous substance into the environment, undertaking any works deemed necessary for the protection of the environment and to issue and serve Environmental Protection Orders.
In the event of EMA failing to meet its demands, Harare Wetlands Trust say it will proceed to institute litigation against EMA.
In its letter to UMSCC, HWT demanded that the statutory water management body should within 24 hours furnish it with details of the cause, nature and extent of the cyanobacteria contamination of Lake Chivero and share information as to whether any measures are being taken to de-contaminate Lake Chivero and specify the nature of such measures being taken.
UMSCC, HWT said, should also advise it if it has issued any measures and or recommendations to prevent recurrence of the contamination of water in Lake Chivero and specify such measures and recommendations.
Failure to do so, Harare Wetlands Trust said, would leave it with no option but to take legal action against UMSCC to compel it to furnish the environmental and water rights campaigners with the requested information. – ZLHR
Zimbabwe is set to host the COP 15 Ramsar convention next year and Lake Chivero is one of the Ramsar site.