Pomona Waste project roars to life Dilesh Nguwaya

Municipal Reporter

The €304 million Pomona dumpsite deal has roared to life with Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited having commenced clearing refuse at the landfill paving way for the construction of internal roads and perimeter fence.

A visit at the dumpsite yesterday showed barely days after Harare City Council handed over the landfill to Geo Pomona work is now in progress.

Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited has commenced clearing refuse at the landfill paving way for the construction of internal roads and a perimeter fence.

The Herald spotted a front end loader clearing refuse on the section that will accommodate roads with one of the existing ones being widened.

Ground was also being cleared in preparation of the perimeter fence.

Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited is a subsidiary of Geogenix BV, an internationally accredited firm involved in dealing with garbage.

Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited has commenced clearing refuse at the landfill paving way for the construction of internal roads and a perimeter fence.

The firm’s country representative, Mr Dilesh Nguwaya, yesterday said they were now working round the clock to meet their timelines.

“We have engaged other partners to speed up our work. Our engineers on the ground are making frantic efforts to ensure our work plans or targets which is to make Harare a ‘better place’ are met.

“Clearing of refuse started last Saturday to pave way for the construction of internal roads and erection of perimeter fence. This is nearly a week after the site handover showing that we are more than committed to deliver the project on time,” he said.

Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited has commenced clearing refuse at the landfill paving way for the construction of internal roads and a perimeter fence.

Mr Nguwaya said heavy equipment such as dozers and front end loaders are now on site with work ongoing.

“We engaged the National Employment Council so as to start employing. We are now employing labourers at our site office,” he said.

Geo Pomona has since outlined its roadmap stating that within the first two months it will start with the encircling of the Pomona landfill and with the employing of favourable working conditions for residents who consider waste as their only possible way to make a living.

Said the company in a statement: “Within the first three months, Geo Pomona will also commence the building of internal roads as well as the construction of the scales and the facilities. This means that any waste will be identified and treated under 24-hour monitoring in this way, the illegal dumping of waste and the risk of arson will be avoided.”

Geo Pomona also said the encapsulation of all existing waste will be completed within the first 20 months.

“The citizens of Harare will no longer have to deal with waste dumps in Pomona, as the waste will, first, go through the selection process and, then, into the landfill.

“In order to make it clear for the public, it should be noted that within 20 months Harare will also witness another important change, smell pollution will be inconsiderable, as extensive parts of Pomona will be turned into a green park that will be given to the city, in a short time,” reads the statement.

“The incorporated technology is of modern standards, precisely the technology that is used in major European capitals, as a final solution for integrated waste management. The high-quality technology of the plant construction will be made possible through cooperation with companies such as Franco Tosi, Siemens, ABB, and Boldrocchi Group. The company will also invest in several social projects for the community.”

The Pomona dumpsite waste-to-energy project was recently approved by Cabinet and is expected to generate up to 22MW of electricity.

Apart from electricity generation, the project is also projected to generate at least 300 jobs, boost economic growth and reduce the country’s import bill for electricity with the investor already exploring other investment opportunities in the country.

Millions of dollars of potential revenue were being lost annually as most of the waste being generated at the dumpsite was being carried and processed in neighbouring countries including South Africa.

A haulage truck carrying plastic containers from Pomona dumpsite reportedly heading to South Africa was recently stuck in the mud, a clear sign of how the country was losing potential revenue.

The management of Pomona has been a thorn in the flesh over the past decades with pollution having become more of a habit rather than an event.

The last fire outbreak at the dumpsite lasted at least 16 days risking the health of residents, who were affected by the pollution.

Harare City Council’s failure to collect and properly treat solid waste was largely contributing to flooding, air pollution and public health issues such as respiratory ailments, diarrhoea and dengue fever.

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