Story by Memory Chamisa
THE Harare City Council has once again come under the spotlight for parcelling out land on wetlands, posing a threat to already depleting water bodies.
Sand poaching and the construction of houses and commercial buildings now characterise some of the wetlands in Harare.
The situation has seen residents and land developers questioning the Harare City Council’s actions, which have devastating consequences.
“As residents, this situation has gotten out of hand. The city council has to be held accountable on what is going on here. We will not have anything to leave for future generations. Right now, Harare is going through a water crisis, which is being enabled by the loss of these water bodies. The construction of houses and commercial bodies is rampant, raising the question of whether these people are doing it right,” Eastlea residents representative, Mr Mudiwa Mundawarara said.
“This development is on board as all paperwork is approved from all offices concerned. As the developers, we did due diligence, and the plan is not even on wetlands, hence this is coming as a surprise that our development is affecting wetlands. The Harare City Council needs to be open to the Parliament and factual,” Pokugara Land Developer, Mr Ken Sharpe stated.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Thematic Committee on Climate Change Senator Prisca Mupfumira noted the urgent need for an investigation into the issue.
“This tour has unearthed some irregularities that are taking place at Town House. The city council has professed ignorance of what is taking place. We visited Mt Pleasant, Pokugara, and Greendale, and the situation is not looking good. Wetlands purify our water, shield us from floods, store vast amounts of carbon, and serve as vital habitats for countless bird species. The message is clear, we cannot halt biodiversity loss or tackle the climate crisis without urgent action to protect and restore wetlands. Wetlands matter now more than ever.”
Wetlands play a critical role in climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and water management.
Zimbabwe’s has since made a commitment to the conservation and sustainable management of wetlands as enshrined in the 2022 National Wetlands Policy and reinforced by a robust national legislation framework.
