Published by the government of Zimbabwe
14 February 2008
Harare — THE Harare City Council must come up with proper framework to regulate urban agriculture so as to protect conservancies, forests and wetlands under its jurisdiction.
Several environmentalists who spoke after touring Cleveland Dam in Harare yesterday said the level of land degradation and deforestation in the area warranted the city council's intervention.
Cleveland Dam is 12km from the city centre and was incorporated into the city more than a century ago to ensure the headwaters of the Mukuvisi were protected.
The dam, Harare's first, is on the headwaters of the Mukuvisi and its catchment was thought worthy of special protection when it was built, especially in light of the massive deforestation of the Hillside area then and the resulting siltation of the lower Mukuvisi as the river flowed through Harare.
Yesterday's team comprised stakeholders from Environmental Management Agency, Environment Africa, Forestry Commission, Noczim and the police among others.
Environment Africa communications officer Mr Selestino Chari said the city council should enforce measures that would enable the implementation of sustainable practices in the area.
"Cleveland area in particular and most parts of the city are fast losing their glamour owing to illegal harvesting of firewood and sand extraction. Being a conservancy, we are calling on the municipality to enforce measures that may mitigate the current situation in Cleveland area," he said.
He also called for concerted efforts among the stakeholders to revive the forest component, which has shrunk over the past years.
"City council could establish community woodlots to help surrounding communities in times of load shedding," he said.
Forestry Commission representative Mr Gift Mandisodza said they had embarked on a programme to domesticate indigenous trees in these protected areas and would ensure that stringent measures against the illegal cultivators and sand extractors are enforced by the city council.
"We are currently using our Forestry Act to deal with these deforestation activities," he said.
Mr Mandisodza urged the council to resume its raids in the area to apprehend illegal farmers and cultivators.
The stakeholders said they would continue rendering support to council in protecting the country's ecosystem.
More than 600 people are farming in the area despite the fact that only 150 people had been authorised to farm in the area.
The environmentalists were speaking yesterday after a tour to assess level of land degradation in Cleveland Dam catchment area where there is massive deforestation, stream bank cultivation and illegal extraction of sand.
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