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Harare taken to court over sewage crisis
2 hrs ago |
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The Environmental Management Agency (Ema) has taken the Harare City Council (HCC) to the High Court, demanding urgent action to repair its "deplorable water reticulation system" amid the ongoing discharge of raw sewage into Lake Chivero, the capital's main water source.
The move follows years of repeated violations and growing public outrage, as environmental groups and residents' associations intensify pressure on authorities to halt the pollution. Some campaigners have gone as far as petitioning President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare the crisis a national disaster, citing severe ecological and health risks.
Ema spokesperson Amkela Sidange confirmed that the agency has repeatedly penalised the council for its failure to contain sewage leaks, issuing nine environmental protection orders and tickets since 2021. The most recent was served on October 3, 2025.
"Since 2021, a total of nine tickets and environmental protection orders have been issued to the Harare City Council for the continued discharge of raw sewage into Lake Chivero," Sidange said.
"Over and above all, the agency filed a High Court application that was received on June 3, 2025. The Court application was for Harare City Council to rectify the deplorable water reticulation system," she added.
According to Sidange, the latest directive compels the city to urgently repair sewer bursts in Kambuzuma, Budiriro, Glen View and Rugare, and to replace damaged stream crossing pipes in Amalinda, near Chiremba Road.
Despite these enforcement measures, the council continues to discharge millions of litres of untreated waste into Lake Chivero each day - including an estimated 80 million litres through the deteriorated Amalinda pipeline alone.
Sidange warned that the contamination has caused lasting ecological damage.
"The pollution of Lake Chivero has had serious ecological and environmental consequences over the years," she said.
"This has resulted in algae blooms that deplete oxygen levels in the water, making it difficult for aquatic organisms to survive. The pollution has the potential to result in the decline of fish species due to oxygen depletion, habitat loss and high toxin concentrations."
The environmental fallout has now reached the courts. Kuimba Shiri Bird Sanctuary owner Gary Stafford, together with the Zimbabwe Wildlife Africa Trust, has filed a separate lawsuit against the council, seeking US$86,000 in damages linked to pollution-related losses.
Their application also calls for an order barring the city from "discharging effluent or any poisonous or toxic substances" into the lake.
The ecological toll has been devastating. Last year, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) confirmed the deaths of four rhinos, three zebras, four wildebeest and four fish eagles, all attributed to pollution from Harare's wastewater.
Earlier this year, laboratory tests revealed that Harare's tap water was unsafe for human consumption, echoing a 2019 joint study by the council and South African firm Nanotechnology that found dangerously high toxin levels in Lake Chivero.
As the crisis worsens, the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has launched an online petition urging President Mnangagwa to declare the situation a state of national disaster, which would enable the mobilisation of national and donor resources to rehabilitate the lake and its water systems.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume had not responded to questions by the time of publication.
The move follows years of repeated violations and growing public outrage, as environmental groups and residents' associations intensify pressure on authorities to halt the pollution. Some campaigners have gone as far as petitioning President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare the crisis a national disaster, citing severe ecological and health risks.
Ema spokesperson Amkela Sidange confirmed that the agency has repeatedly penalised the council for its failure to contain sewage leaks, issuing nine environmental protection orders and tickets since 2021. The most recent was served on October 3, 2025.
"Since 2021, a total of nine tickets and environmental protection orders have been issued to the Harare City Council for the continued discharge of raw sewage into Lake Chivero," Sidange said.
"Over and above all, the agency filed a High Court application that was received on June 3, 2025. The Court application was for Harare City Council to rectify the deplorable water reticulation system," she added.
According to Sidange, the latest directive compels the city to urgently repair sewer bursts in Kambuzuma, Budiriro, Glen View and Rugare, and to replace damaged stream crossing pipes in Amalinda, near Chiremba Road.
Despite these enforcement measures, the council continues to discharge millions of litres of untreated waste into Lake Chivero each day - including an estimated 80 million litres through the deteriorated Amalinda pipeline alone.
Sidange warned that the contamination has caused lasting ecological damage.
"The pollution of Lake Chivero has had serious ecological and environmental consequences over the years," she said.
"This has resulted in algae blooms that deplete oxygen levels in the water, making it difficult for aquatic organisms to survive. The pollution has the potential to result in the decline of fish species due to oxygen depletion, habitat loss and high toxin concentrations."
The environmental fallout has now reached the courts. Kuimba Shiri Bird Sanctuary owner Gary Stafford, together with the Zimbabwe Wildlife Africa Trust, has filed a separate lawsuit against the council, seeking US$86,000 in damages linked to pollution-related losses.
Their application also calls for an order barring the city from "discharging effluent or any poisonous or toxic substances" into the lake.
The ecological toll has been devastating. Last year, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) confirmed the deaths of four rhinos, three zebras, four wildebeest and four fish eagles, all attributed to pollution from Harare's wastewater.
Earlier this year, laboratory tests revealed that Harare's tap water was unsafe for human consumption, echoing a 2019 joint study by the council and South African firm Nanotechnology that found dangerously high toxin levels in Lake Chivero.
As the crisis worsens, the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has launched an online petition urging President Mnangagwa to declare the situation a state of national disaster, which would enable the mobilisation of national and donor resources to rehabilitate the lake and its water systems.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume had not responded to questions by the time of publication.
Source - The Independent
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