Land degradation; ls EMA Doing Enough?

Dear Editor

Through your widely read newspaper I would like to share my disgruntlement against the government environmental agency.

If I am not mistaken EMA ( Environmental Management Agency), was an off shoot of the Forestry Commission, because the latter was almost doing the same work that EMA is doing today. 

   The Forestry Commission specialized on afforestation and re- afforestation. All types of trees were given for free, to individuals, schools, colleges and communities. Those who live or visit rural areas, you can easily notice a gum tree plantation in almost every village. Those unused open spaces were planted eucalyptus trees. It’s end use is for roofing, building cattle kraals and used as a source of energy, heating and cooking. 

 We can easily notice that the former parastatal’ results are tangible. Now EMA is just a regulatory body as l see it. It used to be effective in its formative years. Bush fires became very few in Zimbabwe because people were afraid of heavy fines or serving sometime in the slammer. Pit and sand poaching in peri and urban areas also declined. Littering also became a relic of antiquity as EMA, moved around in schools advocating for a clean environment. 

But these days EMA is no longer visible, and destruction of trees for firewood is being done during the day. Open and dangerous pits dug by people selling pit sand and river sand are now an eyesore in areas around towns. Is EMA not aware of the destruction these unscrupulous sand barons are doing to the environment? Rehabilitation of dug up pits are left to the community to watch the continuous erosion of land, as nobody cares because the affected communities are dealing with unknown enemies. EMA should quickly act to save our environment by forming security clusters in communities, who will be working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, to stop this random acts. It must also have free hot lines, where people could report cases of people degrading their lands.

EMA, the communities need you and it’s high time you save our country from total destruction.

Your against environmental destruction