The Sunday Mail
Harmony Agere – Extra Reporter
Villagers in Chisumbanje have raised eyebrows over the Environmental Management Agency’s submissions in Parliament that Green Fuel is disposing toxic effluent into Save River thereby causing health complications in humans and animals.
EMA director-general Mrs Mutsa Chasi last week said the agency’s tests showed Green Fuel was discarding undiluted effluent that is believed to be causing blindness, miscarriages and other problems.
Mr Phineas Kufeni, who the headman of Chinyamukwakwa Village, said: “I do not think that what is being said is true because our livestock has been drinking from this water and we have been watering with the same water but no one has come out to complain about it.
“Reports that people are getting blind and some having miscarriages are not true. I would like to see anyone who has become blind if he or she is there.
“We are actually happy because the project has improved our livelihoods through starting irrigation schemes for us and we would like to thank the Government for that.”
Other villagers, Mr Sam Gwenzi and Mr Elias Chikope, said political ploys aimed at destabilising the Government’s efforts to empower the community were behind the claims.
“I have not seen the pollution that is being talked about, I have not seen people who got ill because of the water either,” said Mr Gwenzi. “I think these are deliberate political motives to destabilise a Government programme.”
A senior official at St Mary’s Mission Hospital, which is the closest large health centre to Chisumbanje, said the institution had not handled any cases of people who developed complications because of water pollution caused by Green Fuel.
“As you know, I am not allowed to talk to you (media). I do not have much to say only that no such cases have not been reported here,” said the official.
Green Fuel said it produces two non-acidic types of effluent which are both diluted with fresh water and used to irrigate sugar cane.
The company showed The Sunday Mail Extra two licenses awarded by EMA for disposal of such effluent.
“The first effluent is water used to clean the cane before it goes into the mill,” said Green Fuel safety, health and environment officer Mr Tafadzwa Chibanda. “We do not add any chemicals to that water so it is directed back into our water canals where it will be used for irrigation so there is no a point where this water can link to a river even if it is safe.
“The second effluent is the residue of the ethanol cleaning process together with the water we use to clean our boilers. Because this water contains chemicals such as phosphate and magnesium we dilute it with fresh water on a ratio of 1:10 and use it to irrigate our crops, so again there is no point where this water links to any river.
“EMA gave us licenses for the disposal of these two effluents and they often come to monitor how we do things here.”
