The Sunday News
Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has said it is not relenting on its quest to protect the degradation of wetlands, especially by housing developers and seed, and fertiliser producer companies.
The Agency said this year alone they have rejected 15 projects that were set to be carried out in wetlands around Harare Province alone.
These include; Blacks Housing Trust in Greencroft Township, Charly Car Wash in the Grange area, Craftlight Truck Inn in Msasa, and the Subdivision of Subdivision C of Greengrove.
Other are the Subdivision of Remainder of Municipal plot in Belvedere, Subdivision of Remainder of Strathaven Township station, Takaitanga Housing Cooperative in Budiriro, Totonga in Budiriro, Motherland Housing in Budiriro, Vee Housing in Budiriro, and Vivo Energy Churchill service station in Alexandra Park.
EMA’s Environmental Education and Publicity Manager, Ms Amkela Sidange said during the 2019/20 rainy season, they reprimanded six seed and fertiliser companies for setting up demo plots in wetlands.
The official said the organisation was currently working on thegazetting of all ecologically sensitive areas to ring-fence wetlands as protected areas, especially in Harare and Chitungwiza.
She said under the current regulations, any activity on a wetland requires a licence from EMA, and thus causes for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be done before the proposed projects take off.
“Through the EIA procedure, the Agency has been able in 2020 alone, to reject over 15 wetland projects on site suitability, and in the process protect wetlands,” said Ms Sidange.
“Also, the Agency has issued several tickets and Environmenta lprotection orders (EPOs), including opening court cases, to local authorities and individuals to prohibit wetland degradation.
To that end, allocation of stands in wetlands or putting up structures in wetlands without authority from the Agency is an offence, and any authority or individual found doing so is liable to prosecution”.
She added that the organisation was also working on formalizing wetland management guidelines which will give a standard guide to the management of wetlands in Zimbabwe.
This process, she said was now at the stakeholder consultation stage to conform to Section 136 of the Environmental Management Act.
“On the same line, a wetland management policy is at the draft stage, and we are looking forward to its gazetting by 2021. When these instruments are finalised they would complement each other in ensuring that there is a wise use of wetlands,” said Ms Sidange.
She advised Zimbabweans against buying stands in areas they suspect to be wetlands or when they are not sure of the extent of their ecological sensitivity.
Where this has happened, she said people have experienced delays in construction works, while others have lost in terms of investment when development is rejected on site suitability.
She said some people were also prosecuted for carrying out developments in ecologically sensitive areas without prior authorisation.
Ms Sidange said people must always consult where environmental issues were concerned. Such a service, she said was done for free by EMA.
“However, we (EMA) do not allocate land, but only ensure that any proposed development is ecologically sound, socially acceptable, and environmentally safety.
The public should remain vigilant, and notify the Agency when they suspect of any developments in wetland areas without authority,” she added.
The official also said cultivating in wetlands or along stream banks; and the setting up of demo plots by seed and fertiliser companies in such areas was illegal.
Ms Sidange appealed for local authorities to gazetting bylaws that protect the environment.
