Harare council given ultimatum to decontaminate Lake Chivero
Harare council given ultimatum to decontaminate Lake Chivero
Brenna Matendere
Harare—The Harare Wetlands Trust (HWT), through the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), has separately written to the Harare City Council, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council (UMSCC) to immediately take measures within 48 hours to decontaminate Lake Chivero.
Journalists and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority last week exposed extensive contamination of the lake, a major source of water for the capital, resulting in widespread fish and wildlife deaths.
The contamination is mainly blamed on the City of Harare, which has been discharging raw sewage that carries the poisonous cyanobacteria into Lake Chivero.
Harare mayor, Jacob Mafume, on Tuesday blamed the discharge of the effluent on informal settlements, but residents are not convinced with his explanation.
The HWT letters are dated 16 December 2024 and were all written by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) lawyer, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa, on behalf of the environmental rights watchdog.
The watchdog says the Harare City Council should take steps to ensure that cyanobacteria pollution does not recur in Lake Chivero or is otherwise minimised in future.
The petitions also directed the municipality to notify the public through radio broadcasts, its social media handles and all its district office notice boards that Lake Chivero is seriously contaminated and discourage residents from consuming or buying fish from the reservoir.
“Our client, being a not-for-profit organisation whose main objective…is the environmental protection of all water bodies and aqua biodiversity and aqua life, is deeply concerned that this dire situation (contamination of lake Chivero) can lead to the loss of animal life, aqua life and aqua bio-diversity.
“Our client also understands that people carry out fishing activities in Lake Chivero in which they obtain fish for resale and consumption. This has a ripple effect on people consuming contaminated fish.
“Even more disconcerting, the cyanobacteria pollution makes the water in Lake Chivero unsafe and dangerous for human consumption and use,” reads the HWT petition.
The council is obligated by Section 73 of the constitution to take all the necessary steps to ensure that the environment is protected and conserved for the benefit of present and future generations, says HWT.
The trust urged the council to decontaminate the lake.
“Furthermore, in terms of Section 4 (2) (g) of the Environmental Management Act…you are legally obliged to bear the duty of decontaminating Lake Chivero as well as the burden of taking preventive measures to ensure that the cyanobacteria pollution does not recur or is otherwise minimised in future,” said HWT.
“In the event that you do not comply with our client’s aforesaid demand or do not respond to this letter of demand, we hold strict instructions to proceed with litigation for appropriate relief the costs of which will be on your account. We accordingly advise,” it added.
The HWT demanded that UMSCC must, 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 the measures being taken.
The UMSCC, HWT said, should also advise it if it has issued any measures or recommendations to prevent recurrence of the contamination of water in Lake Chivero.
Failure to do so, HWT said, would leave it with no option but to take legal action against UMSCC.
It directed EMA to conduct water quality tests at Lake Chivero, “to ascertain the extent and levels of the cyanobacteria pollution” and serve an environmental protection order on the City of Harare directing it to immediately take measures to decontaminate Lake Chivero.”