Mounds of rubbish have become an ugly sight at most shopping centres and in various residential areas in many towns and cities in our country.
Harare has been calling itself a ‘Sunshine City’ that should bring joy, happiness, relief, life to the residents, but alas, the opposite is true.
It is reality that the state of the city is pathetic with potholes everywhere, garbage strewn all over, water bodies receiving maximum contamination as pollution sounds its bells from noise, air and water.
Recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared “A state of disaster in four Harare Metropolitan local authorities namely Harare, Ruwa, Epworth and Chitungwiza", due to their failure to collect and dispose of waste.
The consequences of poor waste disposal are dire and many lives have been lost directly and indirectly due to this obnoxious incompetence.
Epworth has experienced waste disposal misery with residents now dumping waste in rivers and vacant spaces, much to the detriment of people’s health.
Kuwadzana is not spared with Crowborough now an eyesore as people seem to be acclimated to the garbage around them.
Insects, rodents and other vectors have found beautiful habitats for their reproduction and the results are very painful.
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Why is it that we have perennial issues of garbage disposal yet we have many office-bearers occupying opulent offices? Are people getting into positions of authority for self-aggrandisement at the expense of robust service delivery?
Calling Harare a ‘Sunshine City” is very sarcastic as we are far from where we need to be. There is nothing that makes you smile when you fall into numerous potholes around the city.
The road infrastructure is very poor, cars are driven haphazardly and accidents are rampant by the day.
The culture of beauty and smartness has evaporated from amongst our people as many have nauseating tendencies of throwing rubbish onto the ground.
Plastic bags, fruit shells litter the ground with empty bottles of drinks strewn everywhere.
It is a taboo in cities like Dubai to throw garbage everywhere and it remains a punishable offence till this day. It is my belief that health education be vigorously done about the dangers of reckless waste disposal and those found on the wrong side of the stipulated laws should face prosecution.
Statutory Instrument 140 of 2023 has potential to bring positive changes to waste disposal as Environmental Management Agency (EMA) was mandated to manage refuse collection and waste management within Harare Metropolitan Province.
Funds from the Treasury will be used by EMA to coordinate the clearance of dumpsites across the province.
If Treasury avails the funds, then there is no reason why we should continue to see heaps of garbage in all suburbs of towns and cities.
The worry remains around the issue of corruption which can have potential to wipe out all the availed funds if the scourge is allowed to grow unabated.
Many people have succumbed to diseases which could have been averted. It is undeniable that uncollected garbage is a threat to human life.
There are many diseases that can arise as a result of environmental and marine contamination and cholera, typhoid, dysentery, Hepatitis A are examples.
It is common knowledge that garbage block water bodies and natural flows, thus becoming unwanted breeding sources for vectors as mosquitoes that are stubborn in malarial transmission.
Public health is under serious threat and the cost to lives is unimaginable. We pray for better service delivery in order to avert health catastrophe.
It is not a secret that our towns and cities are in shambles and we should set aside political differences if we are to witness the sunshine we all long to see. The country needs to move in the right direction.
