Wet lands under threat

Harare Residents Trust has reported that the wetland at the apex of the Manyame Catchment area in Mabvuku, located between Donnybrook race course, Old Mabvuku and the Cleveland Dam is under serious threat after an illegal cooperative brought a grader and cleared part of the area, damaging the ecosystem.

The trust said in the process, residents in the area who have been using the wetland with guidance of Environment Africa are up in arms with the illegal housing cooperative, and it would seem that the City of Harare is failing to protect this important resource for Harare.

"The group, made of concerned residents reclaimed the galleys there, and stopped sand mining, and planted vetiver grass, mangoe trees and bananas in the wetland as measures to safeguard the wetland from being destroyed, thereby safeguarding the natural way of purifying water," said the trust. "They have been doing so for the past ten years, and they have been able to increase their food security, using environment friendly methods like use of organic manure, inter-cropping, and ridging across the flow of water. These methods ensure the soil is not eroded, and the plants themselves help to increase the fertility of the soil."