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Environmental factors remain a major cause of sickness and death in many regions of the world (World Resource Institute 1998-99). Vendors are a case in point.
Go to any part of Harare’s high density suburbs, or take Mbare for example, the word clean environment no longer applies and it also seem as if it will never apply at all. This residential area is characterised by vendors everywhere despite that there are designated places to carry out such kind of business.

This problem is especially concentrated at Matapi flats and the area around Mupedzanhamo to Magaba area. A lot of open fast food stalls have mushroomed in Mbare. It is a fact that the city authorities disapproves of this status quo, at least on paper, yet it is disheartening to see how they do not mount spirited campaigns to flush the practice out.
A small area of land is now carrying a large capacity of population that it cannot sustain. The area is characterised by flowing of raw sewages, dumpsites, noise and general environmental degradation due to overpopulation. The residences are exposed to various airborne diseases. The issue of Mbare alone needs to be examined on its own as the living conditions there are not pleasant for humans especially living in the capital city of a rich country like this.

Around the city of Harare, car sales have become common sight in every part of the city since as it is a new growing type of a business. There are some that are just surfacing anywhere.
For example, along Simon Mazorodze Road opposite Zimbabwe Broadcast Corporation just in front of the Pizza inn, there is a car sale that has been there for quite sometime, and a lot of people hang around that area. The big question is where do they go when they want to visit the toilet?

These people are hindering the smooth flow of business on that area as well as taking the registered car sales out of business by attracting the potential customers. Many registered car sale dealers have expressed great concern as to why these unregistered car sale dealer are left like that not only as competitors but also as threats to the environment and people’s health.
Public urination is a crime in many countries seeking to have people use toilets rather than empty their bladder in a public place. Public urination and defecating laws are primarily governed by state and local laws, which vary by jurisdiction.

In Zimbabwe, the laws exist but many people usually get away with it, as usually witnessed mainly around bottle stores, beer halls as well as at any vending place including in the Central business district (CBD).

The increase in the number of commuter omnibuses and taxies has also resulted in the increase of rank marshals and hwindis around Harare’s CBD. These people spend most of their time wandering up and down the streets. Most of them have become the masters of the streets. One can take for instance the number of people who spend their day at Copper Cabana bus terminus, and those at corner Speak and Leopold Takawira, opposite Town house.

It is to be wondered what they will be doing, only to cause commotion and to pollute the city streets. The available public toilets can no longer sustain the daily demand of all these people and are also posing a serious health hazard on their own. A good example is the public toilet at Copper Cabana bus terminus next to a fruits and vegetable market. It seems as if there is no one responsible of cleaning it.
No one can stand the sight of human waste as well as the chocking smell of urine. To make matters worse these backyards are used as entry points for deliveries for several shops and businesses on a particular building. Tightening public urination and defecating laws is necessary to curb a growing problem of human waste on city streets as well as to promote and keep a clean and health environment.

The other major environmental problem in Harare is the issue of pollution. The problem of waste management has not improved since the dollarisation of the economy. For the past decade the standard of waste management continued to fall way below accepted standards with the City council failing to collect waste around the city regularly as scheduled.
Organisations like as Banc ABC played their role by donating waste vehicles, fuel is readily available but the problem still prevails up to now. Waste dumps are the breeding places for mosquitoes especially during the rainy season. This can result in the spread of malaria, a disease which has raised a great concern in Africa as far as health is concerned.

Malaria is estimated to cause 250 million cases of fever and approximately one million deaths annually worldwide. The magnitude of the effects of waste dumps can be so severe to cause death. Some of the diseases that arise and spread from waste dumps include cholera, diarrhoea to mention only a few with areas such as Mbare being the most affected area when there is an outbreak.

These diseases tend to spread fast in the rainy season as there is a lot of water contamination.
Waste can be washed into water bodies such as wells and rivers. The responsible authorities should find ways to integrate with various organisation and stakeholder to find an everlasting and effective solution to waste handling and management.