The Sunday Mail
Over 80 pedestrians and public transport drivers in Harare were apprehended during the first three months of this year after they were caught littering the environment and flouting other waste management regulations.
Figures for the rest of the country were not immediately available, although it is believed more litterbugs were picked up in subsequent raids. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) released the statistics last week as it vowed to turn up the heat on polluters.
EMA acting spokesperson Mr Rambwai Mapako said the pedestrians were caught red-handed dumping rubbish on the streets. Commuter omnibus drivers were also penalised for not having litter bins in their vehicles. Mr Mapako said the culprits paid a US$20 fine each and warned that EMA’s law enforcement agents will continue swooping on polluters.
“The number of polluters who have been apprehended since the beginning of the year has risen as more cases are being recorded. We fine them, but repeat offenders risk prosecution. However, we are yet to refer anyone to the courts for prosecution.
“We will not relax with regards to our mandate of enforcing the law. Ema is also engaging local authorities, encouraging them to handle waste management firmly.
“We are happy that some organisations and churches are engaging in clean-up campaigns, a sign that communities are slowly moving towards understanding waste management.”
In 2007, Government introduced anti-littering regulations following an upsurge in pollution, especially in urban areas.
The regulations make it an offence to litter the environment and mandatory for public transport operators to put litter bins in their vehicles. EMA works with council and police to enforce the regulations.
Apart from legislation, the agency advocates the participation of community-based organisations in solid waste management.
