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Zimbabwe is one country which has made great strides in prioritising environmental issues on its development agenda. This has consequently created keen interest on the subject among its citizens as people now see the need to take environmental issues seriously.
Below is a continuation of some common questions which people frequently ask about EMA and the environment.
1. How can a community control the effects of streambank cultivation?

• Construct consolidated (unite into one/combine) gardens as a community.

• Site gardens should be 30 metres away from the natural flood bank or the highest flood level of a river or stream.

• Consult Agritex and EMA officers for pegging of gardens.

• Report all offenders to EMA, ZRP and traditional leaders.

2. What does the law say about
streambank cultivation?
The Environmental Management Act (Chap 20:27) as read with S.I 7 of 2007 (EIA and Ecosystems Protection Regulations) states that it is an offence:

• To cultivate, destroy and natural vegetation, dig up, break up, remove or alter in any way the soil or surface of land within 30 metres of the high flood level of any body of water or course of any river or stream.

• Anyone who wants to cultivate on a wetland should apply for a licence from EMA.

• Fines related to streambank cultivation go up to level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or both such fine and imprisonment.

3. What is a sanitary landfill?
Sanitary land fill is a method of controlled disposal of municipal solid waste (refuse) on land. Waste is deposited in thin layers and promptly compacted by heavy machinery (e.g. bulldozers); several layers are placed and compacted on top of each other to form a refuse cell. At the end of each day the compacted refuse cell is covered with a layer of compacted soil to prevent odours and windblown debris.
All modern landfill sites are carefully selected and prepared (e.g. sealed with impermeable synthetic bottom liners) to prevent pollution of groundwater or other environmental problems. When the landfill is completed, it is capped with a layer of clay or a synthetic liner in order to prevent water from entering. A final topsoil cover is placed, compacted, and graded, and various forms of vegetation may be planted in order to reclaim otherwise useless land – e.g. to fill declivities to levels convenient for building parks, golf courses, or other suitable public projects.
A sanitary landfill must:

• Have permission from the local authority and residents to exist.

• Have fencing and protective systems that curtail illegal disposal.

• Be engineered to prevent groundwater contamination with liners and leachate removal systems.

• Be filled in a stage-wise programme which minimises exposed waste.

• Not permit open burning.

• Be licensed and inspected by EMA.

• Have a completion plan to convert the site to a useful purpose.

• Be operated by a trained staff.

4. What are the best methods for
preventing a veldt fire?
Any fire management strategy must make provision for the prevention of unwanted or controlled fires. Fires can be prevented through:

• Improved community awareness and publicity; Education; Co-operation between all stakeholders; Building relations between land users and with the public; Law enforcement; Developing fire management strategies (to include fire beaters, reporting systems, constructing standard fireguards, etc).

A lot of money has gone into fire prevention in some parts of Zimbabwe. The money has been used to train firefighting teams in communities, to purchase firefighting equipment, make demonstration projects and cutting of grass along road servitudes. This effort has not significantly reduced the incidence and severity of late season fires.
5. What are the best methods for
preventing a veldt fire?
The earlier a fire is reported, the sooner the necessary action can be taken. A reporting system for veldt fires requires responsibility and judgment.

• Responsibility: The person who sees or comes across a fire is responsible for taking some action.

• Judgment: The person who discovers a fire must use their judgement as to their reaction. Their reaction will depend on the size of the fire.

• Very small fire: A fire which has just started, for example from a carelessly discarded cigarette, can easily be put out.

• Small fire: If a fire has been burning for a few minutes, it might be possible to mobilise people in the immediate area to put it out.

• Large fires: With large fires, co-ordinated action is usually needed to put it out. In each case, run to the nearest village to report the fire. In each village there should be one person who is responsible for the organisation and management of firefighting.

There are some basic principles for a reporting system to fight veld fires. It is essential that:

• One person is in control of the firefighting team. This person is responsible for mobilising the fire management team and actually trying to put the fire out. This person can be the owner or occupier of the land.

• One person (the owner/occupier) is in control of the reporting team. They must ensure that all the neighbours are informed. This may also mean obtaining additional support from neighbours to help fight the fire.

• Reporting can be done by the quickest means available: telephone (if available), radio, running, bicycle or motorcycle. Once a fire has been extinguished, the neighbours should be informed.

• The fire management team should have some basic training in fire fighting technique (back-burning, etc) and some basic first aid knowledge. They should also have some basic equipment for fighting fires (beaters, wet sacks, shovels/spades, buckets, pangas, axes and drinking water). Please note that absence of the above does not mean a fire should be left unattended. We are now in the fire season please do not start open fires.

Please talk to us. We are always ready to listen. Email: [email protected] or call us on  04- 310084/705661-2/Toll free 08080028.