Government has given Geo Pomona Waste Management a contract to collect refuse in the capital in a deal that will see the financially-crippled Harare City Council (HCC) forking out approximately US$9 million annually.
HCC has for
years failed to collect waste in the central business district and residential
areas with President Emmerson Mnangagwa declaring the failure a national
disaster following outbreaks of cholera and typhoid, waterborne diseases.
Geo Pomona
executive chairperson Dilesh Nguwaya early this year said the firm would be
collecting 650 tonnes of waste for US$40 per tonne daily.
The waste will
be used for electricity generation for the national grid, according to Nguwaya.
He said the
charges set out and agreed with Harare in the joint venture concession
agreement were “fairly cheaper” than those obtaining in Europe.
“You will be
aware that the standards at Pomona are in line with modern European trends in
waste management. Below, we put the figures charged per tonne; Austria
(US$166), Belgium (US$112), Denmark (US$114), Finland (US$116), France (US$95),
Ireland (US$154), Italy (US$127) and the United Kingdom (US$135),” he said.
Speaking at a
press conference attended by Harare mayor Jacob Mafume yesterday, Local
Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe said he was confident that
Geo Pomona will clean up the capital.
“President
Emmerson Mnangagwa in October 2023 declared a state of disaster on solid waste
management in Harare. This was as a
result of the financial challenges which the city is experiencing and these
challenges have acutely affected service delivery, particularly in water,
sanitation and solid waste management,” he said. Newsday
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