Harare, August 27, 2025 – The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has called for immediate government action to tackle escalating pollution in Lakes Chivero and Manyame, warning of serious threats to public health, food security and biodiversity.
In a statement to mark World Lake Day, CHRA said the two lakes, which supply most of Harare’s water, are being choked by industrial effluent and raw sewage from malfunctioning municipal sewer systems. “Polluting has come cheaper than compliance with environmental laws, largely because enforcement has been weak,” the association said.
CHRA urged authorities to apply the “polluter pays” principle contained in the Environmental Management Act and to penalise industries that fail to install effluent treatment plants as required by law.
The group also appealed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare pollution at Lake Chivero a national disaster, citing last year’s mass deaths of aquatic life and a subsequent indefinite ban on fishing.
Recommendations include establishing an independent water regulator, rehabilitating Harare’s sewer reticulation system and fully domesticating the Ramsar Convention, which protects wetland ecosystems.
