The agency has vowed to intensify its crackdown on violators of environmental legislation. It is mandated under the Environment Management Act to prosecute those caught violating the legislation. The two local authorities will face charges involving discharge of raw sewage into water bodies, poor solid waste management and illegal allocation of stands on protected wetlands.
Despite facing challenges in the few past years, the EMA is upping its pace to nip environmental problems in the bud. Local authorities in Chitungwiza, Chinhoyi and Chegutu have been fined for flouting environmental legislation.
Chitungwiza was fined $14 000 for the development of residential and commercial stands in wetlands, malfunctioning sewage treatment works and pump station, uncontrolled solid waste management at its dumpsite and poor refuse collection.
A recent agency workshop heard that its operations had been affected by problems of political interference, being powerless to enforce legislation and limited institutional capacity.
A National Social Security Authority official who declined to be named told the workshop that his organization had carried out an assessment of effluent and sewerage reticulation systems of eight local authorities in the country. "All the eight authorities we assessed failed the test as they are facing challenges of failure to properly dispose effluent and raw sewage from their plants, posing health and environment threats to the communities," the NSSA official said.
Post published in: Environment