Harare City Council has also said it has challenges
collecting refuse after it temporarily closed Pomona dump-site last week owing
to “logistical challenges”. The reopening date has not been set, with council
urging residents not to throw anything away.
Mr Cosmas Bungu of the Harare Municipal Workers Union
(HMWU), yesterday said council workers were being exposed to Covid-19 infection
as they were using physical contact in cases that simply required PPE.
Last week, Mbare residents complained of having to cope
with blocked or burst sewers, a development they said was putting them at the
risk of contracting water-borne diseases, including cholera and typhoid.
In Warren Park 1, along 24th Avenue, there is a burst sewer
that has not been attended to for months now. Yesterday, streams of sewage were
seen flowing in the area.
Kambuzuma sections 1, 2, 4 and 6 are among the most common
hotspots, where are children playing in sewage ponds.
Dzivaresekwa’s busiest street, Pasipanodya, has a rivulet
of raw sewage and on Saturday, children could be seen playing in the sewage
while some residents were selling all manner of products including vegetables
and chicken cuts, across the road from the flowing filth.
There are reports from some areas that some residents have
recently been falling into the sewage mainly in the evening as it will be dark
given the absence of electricity following faults induced by rains.
In a statement over the closure of Pomona dumpsite since
last Thursday, council said the closure was due to logistical challenges.
“Our residents are encouraged to exercise good waste
management practises during this period that includes but not limited to waste
separation, reducing waste generation through reuse and recycling. The city
will roll out a collection schedule in due course for resumption of
collections,” said council.
Heaps of garbage are now commonplace in most suburbs due to
council’s inefficiency, which has been blaming fuel shortages and the
garnishing of its accounts by Zimra, for the failure to provide decent
services.
Combined Harare Residents Association programmes manager Mr
Reuben Akili said they were worried by the city’s failure to attend to burst
sewers on time.
“This is a health time bomb, which can explode any time.
Our local authority has not been proactive on this issue,” he said. “We are
also warning citizens not to drink water from wells, especially this rainy
season when sewage will find its way into wells and boreholes.
Mr Akili said they were also mobilising residents for
possible litigation and petitioning Parliament on the issue. Herald
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