Visitors to parks like Africa Unity Square and Harare Gardens who bring along food for picnics or lunch breaks are being forced to throw rubbish on the ground as the bins go for long periods without being cleared.
The once beautiful park in Glen Norah now resembles a garbage site. Raw sewage can be seen flowing in the dam and the cage where animals used to be kept is severely damaged. The flowers have died because they have not been watered.
At Machipisa shopping centre in Highfields, the park where people used to relax is now an eyesore. Photographers who used to earn a living by taking photos of relaxing residents complain that people hardly visit the amenity.
“Who wants to have his picture taken in front of litter? The park used to be our work station but the City Council has failed us,” said photographer Lameck Almenda. Council workers admit they are not working as hard as they should but blame low morale due to poor salaries.
“How can we prune the trees and clear the litter and grass on an empty stomach. We do not have protective clothing and sometimes go for days without water and our resources are limited,” said one council employee. According to a recent study by Environment Africa, Harare was once ranked one of the cleanest cities in Africa but had deteriorated because of lack of clear by-laws on the environment and the absence of deterrent interventions.
Post published in: News