EMA bemoans sanitary lane blockages

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THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has expressed concern at the continued piling of garbage in Gweru City Council’s sanitary lanes and urged the local authority to urgently address the issue before it turns into a health hazard.

THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has expressed concern at the continued piling of garbage in Gweru City Council’s sanitary lanes and urged the local authority to urgently address the issue before it turns into a health hazard.

By Stephen Chadenga

EMA Midlands provincial manager Benson Bhasera said there was need to block the alleys to avoid continued pollution of the environment.

Sanitary lanes are usually meant to provide passage for service vehicles such as delivery and garbage collection trucks, but those in the Midlands capital have become an eyesore with piling litter.

“It would be prudent if council could mobilise adequate resources to clean street alleys,” Bhasera said during EMA’s inspection of backstreets yesterday.

“If they fail to manage the waste, then closing these sanitary lanes would be an option.”

He said piles of garbage stacked up in most open sanitary lanes formed breeding grounds for diseases and vermin, creating an unhealthy environment in the city.

Over the years, Gweru City Council has been battling to improve refuse collection as heaps of garbage mount at Kudzanayi bus terminus, posing a health hazard to the vendors.

City acting health director Christopher Ruwodo, accused hawkers of dumping waste at undesignated sites and failing to utilise skip bins provided by the local authority.