The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
LESS than 10 kilometres from its source at Cecil Kopje mountains, where it emerges as pristine springs of drinkable water, Sakubva River suddenly and hurtfully turns into a black stinking snake that meanders across eastern part of the city, rumbling under OTS/NRZ footbridge and then Jeff Road bridge to Dangamvura suburb, down to nearby villages that include Dora Dombo, Dora Pindo, up to its confluence with Odzi River around Headman Tamisai area.
The oily black appearance of the water, floating mounts of used disposable nappies and other forms of garbage are enough evidence of organization and individual poor waste management that has blighted the God-given natural resource.
When timber is being processed to produce boards in the industrial sites of Nyakamete and Riverside in the eastern border city of Mutare, there is use of chemicals that include wood pulp whose waste is being dumped through underground pipe channels into Sakubva River.
Sewerage leaks from City of Mutare Yeovil Sewerage Works have also seen human waste residue flowing into Sakubva River.
Waste from households, mainly in Sakubva and parts of Chikanga high density suburbs, has also been dumped in the river at different points where the river channel is conveniently accessible.
As if that is not enough, stream bank cultivation is leading to the destruction of the riparian river fringe and massive siltation of Sakubva River.
The downstream effects are being felt like never before.
Villagers in nearby Dora Dombo, Dora Pindo up to Headman Tamisai’s area are losing livestock or incurring expenses in treating their domestic animals all because of the poor quality of water they are getting from the only river that flows past their homes.
Vegetable gardening in those villages has also been greatly affected as chemicals contained in the water accessed from Sakubva River has resulted in plants wilting.
Kiben Bvirindi Zimunya, who is the incumbent Chief Zimunya said: “This is scandalous. We are being made to drink dirty water because of irresponsible companies dumping waste into Sakubva River. It is the only river that passes through Dora Dombo, Dora Pindo and other villages nearby.
“Human waste and other forms of rubbish are visible in the water. Our cattle are getting skin diseases and succumbing to them due to the contaminated water. Vegetable gardening is now a distant dream in most of these areas, especially for families that cannot afford boreholes.”
Litter is also being dumped in Sakubva River
Lynne James of Mutare Rivers Rehabilitation Initiative (MRRI), a growing group of environmentally concerned residents that has committed to the rehabilitation of Mutare’s waterways bemoaned the wanton disposal of waste into Sakubva River.
MRRI’s mission is to return the protected riparian fringe of Mutare’s waterways to their natural state by preserving the remaining, and replacing the removed indigenous flora.
James outlined some of the major causes of pollution along Sakubva River.
“We have been working on Sakubva River for five months now and have been staggered at the pollution that we have discovered. While we appreciate that there are circumstances that may have lead to some of this pollution, the situation is dire, completely out of hand and needs to be addressed urgently.
“The sources that we have discovered to date include sewerage leaks from the City’s poorly maintained sewerage systems. These leaks are numerous, some are longstanding, and they discharge considerable volumes directly into the river. These need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
“Stream bank cultivation is also leading to the destruction of the riparian river fringe and massive siltation of our rivers. We see this damage daily.
“This is a massive issue throughout the city and affects the rivers in two ways. Residents use the areas around our rivers as dumping grounds and then the rains add an extra load with rubbish washed in by storm water.
“Local businesses have also contributed to this mess. You only have to stroll along the river behind Green Market to see the extent of pollutants ending up in the river. There is an urgent need to work together to assist in a general clean up.
“Large volumes of sawdust are also one of the issues, and we hope to work towards tying these up with sawdust stoves. This will not only make good use of the resource but will help to alleviate the firewood consumption issue the city is facing,” said James.
MRRI called for an urgent change of attitude.
“This situation is a complete disgrace. The custodians of our City and our environment, both City of Mutare and the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), need to educate residents on the dangers of pollution. The consequences are real and the river is literally dying in front of us.
“As Mutare residents we have a responsibility to our environment. We all need to step up in our personal capacities to this challenge, and City of Mutare and EMA need to step up in their mandated capacities to ensure compliance,” said MRRI.
Chief Zimunya took a swipe at Mutare City Council and EMA for a carefree approach to solving the issue of pollution along Sakubva River.
“We have brought this issue to the attention of EMA and Mutare City Council on a number of occasions but they have not shown any concern. These are the organizations that are mandated to solve this problem but it appears they do not care enough,” said Chief Zimunya.
To lend credence to Chief Zimunya’s word, when contacted for comment, Mutare City Council spokesperson Mr Spren Mutiwi said: “I need to get the proper information on the extent of pollution. I need to find out from the relevant office, especially on the leakages from our sewerage facilities. On the general pollution of the river, again, I will have to find out.”
EMA provincial manager Mr Kingstone Chitotombe said he will invite the veterinary department to assist his organisation with investigations on the animals dying as a result of the contaminated water.
“l will call you so that you lead us to the areas concerned. Thanks for bringing that to our attention,” said Mr Chitotombe.
When pestered to give a comment on the state of water flowing in Sakubva River, Mr Chitotombe said: “I have taken note of the issues that you have raised and I assigned staff to investigate. They may call you to get more details on the issues.”
