Mashonaland West Bureau
The Environment Management Agency (EMA) here has expressed concern over the continued discharge of raw sewerage into the environment in all major urban centres of Mashonaland West Province.

In an interview recently, EMA provincial education and publicity head Mr Munyaradzi Nhariswa said most wastewater produced in Mashonaland West remained untreated, causing widespread water pollution.

He revealed that the major sources of pollution were the local authorities and some of the affected major river systems included Hunyani, Mupfure, Darwendale, Muzvezve and Lake Kariba.

The urban centres contributing to the scourge include the City of Kadoma, Chinhoyi Municipality, Chegutu Municipality and Norton Town Council.

Mr Nhariswa noted that most wastewater produced in Mashonaland West remained untreated, causing widespread water pollution.

He said EMA had issued tickets, orders and even engaged the Municipality of Kariba for discharging raw and partially treated sewage effluent mainly from broken sewer pipes.

The Kadoma City Council has four sewer treatment facilities namely Visa, Ingezi, Rimuka and Rio sewer ponds.

“We discovered that the Visa pump station is still not working, with only one aerator out of the eight being operational, said Mr Nhariswa.

‘‘Most of the equipment at the plant is not working and are in a dilapidated state.
“All the clarifiers are not operational and are clogged. The effluent reaching the settling ponds had too much solid material. Ponds had bull rush which need to be removed.”

Mr Nhariswa said EMA noted that there was no maintenance of ponds at Ingezi and they were covered with bull rush, while the ponds were not fenced.

He revealed that the plant at Rimuka Sewer was not operational as a result of aerators that were down because the transformer was vandalised in 2015.
Kadoma requires $12 500 to replace the transformer.

Mr Nhariswa said EMA noted that at Kaguvi Phase 1 and 2 in Chegutu, the holding pond was about to over-spill since and there was no electricity to pump the water to settling ponds.

He also noted that Norton Town Council was contravening Section 57 of Environmental Management Act by discharging raw and partially treated sewage effluent into Darwadale Dam tributary.

Mr Nhariswa said the sewage treatment plant in Chinhoyi was malfunctioning, with perennial discharges from Chaedza and Fernlea Pump stations.

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