Politics & General News

Sand Poachers Deserve Deterrent Penalties

Environmental expert Ernest Mando has called on the Environmental Management Agency (Ema) to descend heavily on sand poachers who are leaving a trail of destruction and exposing communities to health hazards in most urban centres. Mando told NewsDay that it was high time Ema got tough with sand poachers as they were causing irreparable damage to the environment.“Many poachers have, basically, gone unpunished over the years as some of them operate using unregistered vehicles which in most cases are not roadworthy and they drive them at night without headlights contributing to road accidents.”“Sand miners leave open gullies causing children who live around to fall into those gullies and also these gullies are breeding grounds for mosquitoes causing malaria in some areas,” he said.Ema spokesperson Amkela Sidange admitted that sand poachers were behind massive land degradation in the country.“According to recent rapid surveys done by the agency, approximately 1 594ha of land is affected by sand poaching in the country.“Harare is contributing 850ha to the statistics. Local authorities are mandated by law to set aside designated sites for sand abstraction to allow for abstraction to be done in a regulated manner, and these sites should be registered with Ema to allow for monitoring,” she said.“Sand remains a valuable resource which local authorities should protect. Ignorance On Climate Change Fuelling Poverty’* Environment Ministry, International Conservation Affairs director Patience Gandiwa has said ignorance on climate change was contributing to environmental challenges such as pollution, land degradation and unsustainable agricultural practices.Gandiwa said this in Harare at the Environment Reporter of the Year Awards ceremony yesterday, which recognised journalists and media houses that promoted environmental awareness through their stories.

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