The area falling under lease agreement is a wetland protected under the Ramsar Convention. Sad events of our painful past experiences showed us how flooded houses built on wetlands add an unnecessary cost on tax payers’ money and unnecessarily stretch focus areas of the Civil Protection Unit. This cost and unnecessary burden can be prevented by protecting Cleveland Wetland.
We are imploring citizens to engage Chairperson of the Environment Management Committee Cllr Ian Makoni and compel the committee to act in the interests of the public and in line with environmental rights contained on Section 73 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The Environmental Management Agency has issued an Environmental Protection Order against construction on the side and the newly gazetted Harare Wetlands map which should guide spatial planning in Harare has earmarked this area as one of the wetland areas to be protected in Harare.
The National Development Strategy 1 talks about climate change resilience and mitigation strategies. Preservation of wetlands is one of the globally accepted strategy to deal with carbon sequestration and we implore City of Harare to walk the talk. Residents will soon converge on that wetlands to fight for their rights. This wetland is the area where Mukuvisi river starts and compromising the area is a future disaster for feeding of water in Lake Chivero through Mukuvisi river. Already City of Harare has been forced to lower production of water at Prince Edward Water Treatment plant after lowered dam level in Harava dam which is emanating from bad management of the catchment upstream of the dam. As citizens we cannot allow another disaster which will affect future generations.
Call all Councilors who are sitting in the Environment Management Committee of City of Harare and compel them to cancel the lease agreement with Nakiso.
#WetlandsForWater
COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE INFORMATION DEPTm
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