20k tonnes of waste removed from Harare landfills

Sharon Masocha

MORE than 20 000 tonnes of solid waste were removed from landfills across Harare, under Operation Chenesa Harare Phase 2, ahead of the 44th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit held on August 17.

The operation, a Government-led initiative, was also a follow-up to the first phase of the clean-up campaign for the capital city undertaken in January.

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe told The Sunday Mail that the exercise had a positive impact on Harare’s aesthetics and environment.

“In June 2024, the Government launched Operation Chenesa Harare Phase 2 in Mbare and Dzivaresekwa with a view to addressing the deplorable state of solid waste management in the capital city and its environs,” he said.  “The need to clean the city was critical to maintain the aesthetics of our environment and more so, as the country was preparing to host the 44th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government.

“Like Chenesa 1, Chenesa 2 has also been going on well. “Harare, of late and leading to the SADC Summit, was very clean.

“The cumulative tonnage deposited at the Pomona landfill from June 12 to August 17, 2024 stands at 20 122,97 tonnes.

“Chenesa 2 has even gone further to incorporate night operations to ensure that we keep the momentum.”

There was need, he added, to ensure sustainably of the programme to maintain the cleanliness of the city.

The Government is in the process of procuring new equipment, including refuse compactors, tipper trucks and front-end loaders, to enhance local authorities’ waste collection capabilities and help prevent an accumulation of waste.

“I am glad to inform you that the procurement of the following equipment is now at an advanced stage: 40 refuse compactors, 40 tipper trucks and five front-end loaders.

“The above equipment, once procured, will go a long way in addressing the issue of solid waste management not only in Harare, but also in local authorities facing the same challenge.”

Minister Garwe identified the Mbare Farmers’ Market, the Harare central business district (particularly the Simon Muzenda Street, Market Square and Copacabana ranks), Lusaka in Highfield and Glen View Area 8 as hotbeds of illegal waste disposal in Harare.

The Harare City Council has since been encouraged to repair its non-functional waste disposal fleet to ensure comprehensive waste collection coverage across all the five regions of the city.

Additionally, behaviour change programmes targeting solid waste management in residential suburbs were being heightened as a critical component of the overall strategy.

“It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure service provision in their areas of jurisdiction, as mandated by the relevant Acts. More so, the Call to Action, as espoused by His Excellency, the President, obliges them to up the ante in terms of service delivery,” added Minister Garwe.

“The City of Harare should put in place a robust solid waste sustainability plan, which they must religiously implement to avoid a degeneration of the state of solid waste management within the city post the intervention by the Government. “If more equipment is acquired, we strongly believe that the state of solid waste management will improve.”