PEOPLE that built houses and businesses on wetlands must expect demolitions after the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) ordered them to vacate the land before it institutes prosecutions or demolitions of the buildings once a new law on preservation of wetlands is gazetted.
Some of the places that could be affected by the mass
demolitions are Harare and Chitungwiza.
EMA is mandated through the Environmental Management Act
(Chapter 20:27) section 113 to prosecute anyone found carrying out any activity
that is likely to cause degradation of a wetland without authority from the
agency.
The new development comes as the environmental agency
yesterday said it had observed with keen interest the flooding of houses built
on wetlands in Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru.
Already, demolitions have been executed in Harare and
Chitungwiza, while there are reports that around 11 000 residential and
commercial buildings that were built on illegally-owned land would be
demolished in the dormitory town.
Harare is said to have over 30 000 illegal settlements,
comprising mostly land which was illegally sold by barons. Last month, about
200 illegal structures were demolished in Budiriro high-density suburb.
EMA education and public relations manager Amkela Sidange said
people who settled on wetlands should move away before the law took its course.
“EMA is still also urging those settled on wetlands and
along stream banks to move away from those areas, and to stop wetland and
streambank cultivation, for the good of the environment and that of public
health. It’s time for the public to uphold ‘the prevention is better than cure’
agenda in environmental management by following all necessary guidance given by
the agency and other relevant authorities, and in the process protect the
environment and the health of the public,” Sidange said in a statement.
“Chief among these activities is cultivating and
infrastructural developments in wetlands and along streambanks. On that note,
the agency is urging the public not to buy stands in areas they suspect to be
wetlands or when they are not sure of the extent of their ecologically
sensitivity, as doing so will result in delays in development or even loss of
investment when development is rejected on site suitability, or even prosecution
for developments in ecologically sensitive areas without authority from the
agency,” she said.
Sidange continued: “The agency carries out ecological assessments for free. However, the agency does not allocate land, but only ensures that any proposed development is ecologically sound, socially acceptable and environmentally safe. The public should remain vigilant, and notify the agency when they suspect any developments in wetland areas without authority.”
She said EMA was currently working on the gazetting of all
ecologically sensitive areas in line with section 113 of Environmental
Management Act (CAP 20:27), for the City of Harare and Municipality of
Chitungwiza, to ring fence wetlands as protected areas.
“And this will come with ecologically sensitive area maps
for the two local authorities as well. Also, the agency is currently working on
formalising wetland management guidelines, which will give a generic standard
guide to the management of wetlands in Zimbabwe, and both processes are now at
stakeholder consultation stage to conform to section 136 of the same Act, on
rules of natural justice, which advocates for public consultation and inclusion
in decision making on matters of the management of the environment.”
She said a wetland management policy was at draft stage but
is expected to be gazetted before the end of this year.
EMA has refused to approve about 20 infrastructural
developments from co-operatives and businesses on wetlands, especially in
Budiriro, Msasa and Alexander Park.
National Housing minister Daniel Garwe confirmed the
development, saying people should take EMA’s warning of impending demolitions
seriously, as there was no going back on the issue.
“That’s a clear warning from EMA. Nothing can be said
further than that,” Garwe told NewsDay.
However, Chitungwiza Progressive Residents Association
secretary-general Gift Kurupati dismissed EMA’s threats, saying it was
government’s ploy to justify the mooted demolitions of people’s houses in
Chitungwiza and Harare.
“The first thing is, if it is the issue of flooding, yes,
people should vacate, not only those in wetlands. Floods can affect everyone
everywhere. Just look at what happened to the people of Chimanimani. It’s not
the issue of wetlands. The major contributor to those flash floods which we are
now experiencing in Harare and Chitungwiza are not emanating from wetlands, but
from poor drainage systems,” he said.
“What worries us as residents is that regulatory
authorities like EMA always talk about wetlands that are occupied by the poor.
If it pertains to areas like Longcheng in Belvedere, Nyaradzo Funeral Services
in Chitungwiza and Old Mutual Shopping Mall in Chitungwiza, all these buildings
are on wetlands, but are they going to demolish them?”
Chitungwiza Residents Trust director Alice Kuveya said
residents would not move an inch until authorities order the land barons to
refund them as the land was being sold under their noses.
“Firstly, they must make sure all land barons who have sold
land, built their schools in wetlands are arrested and then they must
compensate the residents and council if they are true to themselves. We have
funeral parlours in wetlands, if they can start with them, that’s great,” she
said.
“All these residents didn’t just wake up on wetlands. They
are paying to councils. We have seen EMA issuing licences to parlours to build
on wetlands. We can’t vacate now, not after 10 years or more and paying to
council.”
Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba said
the intervention by EMA was rather late, yet it was progressive and important
in ending illegal settlements.
“The HRT totally supports the position that all houses
built on wetlands should be demolished when all legal requirements have been
met. But demolitions cannot be executed now during the rainy season,” he said.
“The local authorities should first make available
alternative land for housing developments for the victims of illegal
settlements and corruption. The known criminals who sold the stands to
desperate home-seekers should be prosecuted without hesitation. There is
sufficient evidence.” Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment