Desmond Munemo, H-Metro Reporter
An investigation into the wetland depletion in Harare by the Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism has taken a new twist as the battle to maintain the areas sucks in Council.

A Report of the Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism on Wetland Management has exposed sites where wetlands are being utilized unstastainably.
The Harare Wetlands Trust (HWT) organized a tour to enable the Committee to observe some of the ongoing wetlands degradation in Harare’s suburbs and how it affects the state of wetland ecosystem in the country.
The Committee toured some of Harare’s wetland areas in Borrowdale, Monavale, Sentosa, and Glen Lorne in February 2019.

The Committee was informed by HWT that the former UZ Vice Chancellor had intensions to construct a car wash and service station next to a stream called Marimba River as a personal venture.
Bird Life Zimbabwe and Harare Wetlands Trust challenged the decision and the construction of the service station was stopped.
EMA objected to the development but the City Council did not and registered the development.
Concerns were raised as to the model of restoration to be adopted for the wetland and who would meet the cost of restoring that wetland site.
The Committee was also informed by HWT that there were earlier plans to build offices, clinics, and a shopping mall along Upper East Road a proposal that was objected by the University students and staff leading the developer to withdraw.
The Committee witnessed a church being built in a wetland in Eastlea and was informed that the land belonged to an unnamed individual who had bought the land as a residential stand and later sold it to the church without following the due processes.
The Committee was informed that the church is being constructed without any development permit from the City Council and that an EIA was authorised by the incumbent Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
The Committee was informed that Harare City Council was responsible for issuing stands in the Shawasha Hills formerly Glenwin Farm.
The Committee witnessed sewage pumps that broke down in 2008 still discharging raw sewage into Brooke River completely polluting the wetland ecosystem services.
During oral evidence session, the Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry explained to the Committee the measures the Ministry had put in place to protect and preserve wetlands.
These included the re-gazetting of wetlands map of Harare and Chitungwiza, identification and declaration of wetlands of international importance, the development of a National Wetlands Utilisation Guidelines for both rural and urban wetlands.
The Minister informed the Committee that Gazetted wetlands are to be declared state lands under the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
She explained that wetlands would be converted into protected parks, botanic gardens or would be expropriated under private ownership by developing a funding mechanism.
the Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism on Wetland Management concluded that The state should do everything within its power to curb the persistent destruction of our wetlands.

Failure to do so is a direct violation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands which the country is a party to.
The Committee called for an immediate action to stop further destruction of wetlands and their ecosystem services and restore those that have been disturbed

 

HMETRO