Bulawayo (New Ziana) – The Bulawayo municipality has embarked on a massive clean-up exercise across the city, targeting areas with high volumes of garbage and litter.
The exercise is being conducted in conjunction with the Office of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
According to the council, the aim of the exercise is to reduce the risk of waste related disease outbreaks in the city and advance its agenda of becoming a smart and transformative area by next year.
The local authority fears heavy rains being received countrywide could trigger water borne disease outbreaks such as diarrhoea, malaria, typhoid and others.
The exercise also involves unblocking water drains which had been causing flooding in some parts of the city.
Speaking at the kick-off event at Lobengula Street Mall, Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan province, Judith Ncube implored city residents to manage and dispose of waste properly to make the task of keeping Bulawayo clean easier.
“The Local Authority is trying within its capacity to ensure that the vision of the clean ups is achieved working closely with the general public,” she said, adding that the commitment of Bulawayo residents was of paramount importance for the programme to succeed.
“I would be interested in a scenario whereby this clean-up will be one of the last and focus should be on sustainable ways of having a clean city,” said Ncube.
She urged the corporate world and other stakeholders to come on board and make this vision of a cleaner city a reality.
“I have been talking (about) this for a long time now. I think it’s time it comes to fruition. We need committed stakeholders to come on board and we agree as Bulawayo on street adoption for maintenance. This would make our city better and re-create the image we always had of Bulawayo, the City of Kings and Queens.
“I hope that this clean-up will yield the results we want to achieve and thereafter have sustainable measures we will adopt to ensure a smart city,” she said.
City mayor Solomon Mguni said the clean-up was intended to reduce the risk of waste related outbreaks of diseases in the city and promote cleanliness.
“As city of Bulawayo, we show pride in cleanliness, hence the status quo is a cause for concern for us. We need to take pride in our city but ensuring it is clean always,” he said.
He underscored the need for stakeholders and residents to engage in recycling initiatives and alternative use of disposed materials.
“It is the role of the community to take these recycling initiatives and re-using the available waste. We need to dispose the waste properly so that it is available for the next person to take up and re-use it again.”
New Ziana
