Farmers interviewed said they could no longer watch their land being destroyed by sand poachers.
“These guys are digging up the land and do not respect the fact that we use it to farm,” fumed Lindi Mawadzi, a new farmer 20km east of the capital.
An elderly farmer, Daniel Urayayi complained that sand poachers were destroying crops.
“Even after we have planted our crops, these guys make roads for the vehicles that ferry sand and destroy our crops,” said Urayayi.
Most farmers said they were farming on areas given to them by the City Council and called on the municipal authorities to look into the issue.
Environmental Management Agency Education and Publicity Manager, Steady Kangata, condemned the digging up of sand as an illegal act.
“Any pit-sand vendors should have an operating license and they should have an environmental management plan. If you see pit-sand vendors who do not make efforts to reclaim the land it means that they are illegal,” said Kangata.
The EMA spokesperson also urged urban farmers to do their farming on designated land.
“There should be no stream-bank cultivation and farming on wetlands,” he said.
Post published in: Agriculture