Suburban
THE Zimbabwe Combined Residents and Ratepayers Association (ZICORRA) has said the increasing number of mushrooming illegal settlements is to blame for the increase in illegal dump sites causing headaches in different communities across Harare.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
The residents’ representative body has urged the City of Harare to get rid of these illegal settlements in an effort to restore sanity and put in place a working waste management system.
ZICORRA provincial chairperson for Harare Mr Lawrence Kuleya said the increasing illegal settlements are directly affecting service delivery.
Settlers of an illegal settlement along Sherwood Drive near Ellis Robins High School were blamed for some of the illegal dumpsites in the area.
“Illegal settlements have worsened the issue of illegal dumpsites. There is a dumpsite along Sherwood Drive in an alleyway opposite where Ellis Robin’s High School ends. This alleyway is used by those intending to go to Greencroft shops or use Wyatt Road to get to Lomagundi. The worst culprits who created this dumpsite are people who invaded a wetland behind Ellis Robin High School. According to council reports the development is illegal yet construction has been going on even during this rainy season hiding under the long grass,” he said.
Mr Kuleya also cited the illegal settlement on a wetland along Westminster Road in Sentosa.
“Another sickening dumpsite was also created along Westminster Drive near the bridge where a squatter community exists on the wetland area there and developments are taking place too. No service delivery exists within these areas. There is no piped water or sewer facilities. Many are using septic tanks or open pit toilets. So refuse (collection) is a luxury there. These settlers end up dumping refuse by roadsides and alleyways. Once they start this many others follow suit and dumpsites are created. If council intends getting rid of this refuse problem they must get rid of these illegal settlements,” said the ZICORRA official.
He added that it was important to note that residents have done many clean up campaigns but the problem of illegal dumpsites keeps recurring.
ZICORRA believes this is because council is not dealing with the root of the problem which is illegal settlements. The mushrooming illegal settlements need their own refuse trucks at a time when the City of Harare does not have adequate refuse trucks for lawful residential areas. Harare is reportedly operating with eight refuse trucks when the city needs at least 46 garbage trucks to effectively collect waste from residential areas, public places and business premises.
