Clean up campaign needs city’s support

THE flooding of Harare streets that was witnessed on Monday after rains pounded the capital was symptomatic of a serious littering problem that characterises most urban centres in Zimbabwe.

THE flooding of Harare streets that was witnessed on Monday after rains pounded the capital was symptomatic of a serious littering problem that characterises most urban centres in Zimbabwe.

Drainage systems have become clogged because of litter that is thrown everywhere and due to the well-known capacity problems facing most local authorities, councils are not able to clean up the mess.

Bulawayo, long famed for its cleanliness, is in danger of falling into the same situation as Harare where the rainy season is now a nightmare.

The drainage system in Harare has all but collapsed as the flooded roads dramatically demonstrated on Monday.

Flooding disrupted traffic and shop owners had to contend with flooded premises.

Council would require massive investment to right the situation in Harare. Bulawayo has not reached the pollution levels witnessed in Harare, but the situation is deteriorating rapidly.

It is in that light that we applaud the partnership between the Bulawayo City Council, the business community, civil society organisations and the government to launch a massive clean-up campaign.

The initiative under the banner of Bulawayo Solid Waste Improvement Platform (B-SWIP), will be launched on Saturday at the Bulawayo Large City Hall car park.

According to B-SWIP chairperson Sarah Nyathi, the partnership was forged after a realisation that the city council could not win the war of cleaning the city alone.

The business community and Bulawayo residents in general have to support the initiative because it is about rescuing their city from pollution.

Clean-up campaigns have become fashionable in Zimbabwe, but it is important that they are not just one-day events organised for publicity purposes.

The programmes should be platforms that leave residents better informed about the dangers of littering.

B-SWIP should also target the increasing number of informal traders on the streets who contribute a lot to the littering.

The programme must emphasise that prevention is better than to cure an ailment.

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