Staff Writer
A media tour organized by Samaceteye for local journalists, Saturday in Stoneridge/ Southlea Park in Harare has revealed massive land degradation.
Sand poachers are having a kill opening huge dongas in the sprawling suburbs where the construction industry is growing in parts of some illegal settlements.
The once thriving Mabhunu dam which was used for irrigation purposes when the area was a farmland in the 1960s hasn’t been spared as it is now water polluted.
Some houses in the area which border on a wetland along a river that feeds into Hunyani River in Southlea Park suburb have destroyed the eco system.
Investigations have shown that no action is being taken to prevent environmental degradation in the area with land barons selling residential stands even on wetlands as low as $US $50.
In an interview with The Blast, Samaceteye director Chiyedza Josiah Dhimbo said it was a concern that there is massive environmental degradation which has affected tributaries that feed into Hunyani and Manyame rivers due to sand poaching and construction of houses on wetlands.
“We had a media tour which revealed shocking land degradation along Hunyani and Manyame rivers tributaries.
This is as a result of unabated sand poaching and construction of residential stands on wetlands.
Our investigation has revealed that people in the area have no knowledge of environmental laws while poverty is also a driver with the community striving to earn a living selling sand into construction but end up damaging the environment.
“We are hoping that urgent action will be taken by relevant authorities to educate the community on the need to preserve our environment.It is our hope that Harare City Council will intervene to ensure that our environment is secured.”
According to research, Harare is historically built on an extensive network of headwater wetlands that serve as the city’s natural water reservoirs. Unchecked urban expansion, illegal settlements, and unregulated farming have degraded roughly 50% of these wetlands, compounding the city’s water scarcity and causing severe sanitation crises and flooding in low-lying areas.