Upper Manyame Sub Catchment Council (UMSCC) Logo

The most undervalued resource on this earth is water, yet no living creature can survive without it. Unfortunately, a lot of activities being done are affecting natural processes. There has been a dysfunction of the water cycle which has harmed most global issues including, health, gender quality, industries, and peace.

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 as part of the 2030 Agenda stated that everyone in the world would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030.

Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council is on a mission to help achieve the SDG 6 goal. The council has undertaken activities to ensure that there is fair distribution and allocation of groundwater by regulating and supervising the exercise of rights of water use in accordance with water permits.

UMSCC water inspectors have been moving from door to door for groundwater registration and areas covered included Waterfalls, Hatfield, Ruwa, Goromonzi, and Chitungwiza. 68 new properties were registered and this included urban properties, institutions, and plots. Clients who had already been registered were reminded to pay their quarterly fees.

The issue of illegal water abstraction remains a challenge which makes it difficult to monitor water use. In February and March, several arrests of bulk water trucks were done and illegal bulk water sites were issued with letters to suspend operations.

“We aim to ensure that all illegal water abstraction is stopped to ensure that we monitor water use,” said Mrs. Constance Matsaira, Water Resources, and Compliance Manager.

The Council remains vigilant in ensuring that the boreholes within the Sub-Catchment are registered and water levels are monitored regularly.

Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council has consistently been taking part in the national clean-up campaigns that were launched by His Excellency, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa on the 5th of December 2018.

In February and March, the UMSCC held their clean-up campaigns at Queensdale Shopping Centre and Aspindale Park respectively.

Waste disposal is a major issue that has contributed greatly to pollution in rivers within the Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment.

The Council’s water quality assessment identified the Marimba River as the most polluted river within Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment.

The major pollutants found in the Marimba River include Nitrate, Total Dissolved Solids, and E. Coli. This is all owing to poor waste management.

The government of Zimbabwe aims to attain its vision of a Middle-Class Economy by 2030 and this can be achieved by sustainable waste management.