The Sunday News
The environmental crisis in the Umguza River basin requires urgent redress through identifying its causes and for each party to take responsibility for the present environmental predicament we find ourselves in. This is no time for finger pointing and trying to apportion the blame and procrastinating over a resolution of the crisis because many lives are at risk, whether instantly or in the long run could be subject to debate though the health impact can never be wished way.
Bulawayo and its environs in the Umguza basin have for years been the subject of environmentalists’ scrutiny in terms of its waste management practices and several studies have established that the city was failing on that score, and if anything, it would appear the city’s record keeps worsening in spite of reduced industrial activity that could have been blamed for chemical effluent. A solution is needed and needed fast to reassure the masses that they are safe from the scary water contamination levels in the Umguza River.
Bulawayo and surrounding communities rely a lot on vegetables from Umguza area and this produce continues to make its way into the city despite concerns raised recently over the safety of the water used for irrigation. We are cognisant of the fact that many families and businesses are dependent on the river basin for their livelihood but it is also important to safeguard the health of the city’s residents through a co-ordinated approach by government arms in tackling the crisis.
Experts are quite clear that the level of contamination in the river is unacceptably high especially since much of the water in Umguza river and dam is largely derived from sewage and industrial effluent. Elsewhere in this edition, we carry a story in which the several government bodies are scheduled to meet tomorrow to thrash out the issue of Umguza River pollution and come up with a common position. It is now two weeks since the Environmental Management Agency condemned the water for irrigation use but farmers, we hear, are still using the water as there are differing signals coming from officials over the safety of the water.
What is not in dispute though is that the river is heavily polluted to an extent that Ema saw it fit to seal off wells and boreholes near Umguza River so that villagers would not use the water from these sources for drinking.
The Bulawayo City Council and the rest of industry that is discharging effluent into Umguza River should take responsibility for the pollution of the river and take solid steps towards rectifying this anomaly.
Some quarters have pointed out that stiffer penalties in the form of fines were required to stem the flow of harmful effluent into our water ways but these bodies have been paying some of these fines over the years with no sign of reforming. In the case of Bulawayo, it would be double punishment for its residents to pay rates that will be used to pay environmental fines while at the same time, paying huge sums to purchase chemicals to purify water and buying contaminated produce that would require future hospital visits that residents have to pay for.
This is a tragic chain that we should urgently seek to stop to safeguard the health of our people.
Today it might be frogs facing extinction from the Umguza River basin but there is no telling when the impact will start hitting humans hard.
The Government should lead the search for solutions since some of the players, that include the Bulawayo City Council, are culprits in the issue. The situation as it stands in the city should be declared an emergency while in Umguza area it is now a disaster since farmers have been directed to stop using their source of irrigation water while villagers now travel up to two kilometres to fetch drinking water.
The environmental disaster is not being treated with the urgency it deserves and has not received such treatment over the years leading to the current situation where our river system reportedly needs almost a century to be restored, should pollution be stopped.
It is our hope that the meeting by different players this week will yield positive results and that issues that are a priority to arrest further deterioration of the situation will be addressed so that we reduce the fear among our people that they are endangering their lives through consuming contaminated produce and possibly water from various sources.
This unfolding disaster should also be a lesson to many local authorities and companies alike on the importance of making waste management systems a priority in their areas. How safe are our rivers and how environmentally friendly and sustainable are our production practices? This should extend to regulating gold extraction operations in rivers where dangerous substances are used and the protection of our wetlands so that future generations can access clean water.
Our response to the Umguza River crisis could prove to be a curse or blessing to the future generations; and the choice is ours on what legacy we would prefer to leave.
