BY RICHARD MUPONDE PEOPLE that built houses and businesses on wetlands must expect demolitions after the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) ordered them to vacate the land before it institutes prosecutions or demolitions of the buildings once a new law on preservation of wetlands is gazetted. Some of the places that could be affected by the mass demolitions are Harare and Chitungwiza. EMA is mandated through the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) section 113 to prosecute anyone found carrying out any activity that is likely to cause degradation of a wetland without authority from the agency. The new development comes as the environmental agency yesterday said it had observed with keen interest the flooding of houses built on wetlands in Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru. Already, demolitions have been executed in Harare and Chitungwiza, while there are reports that around 11 000 residential and commercial buildings that were built on illegally-owned land would be demolished in the dormitory town. Harare is said to have over 30 000 illegal settlements, comprising mostly land which was illegally sold by barons. Last month, about 200 illegal structures were demolished in Budiriro high-density suburb. EMA education and public relations manager Amkela Sidange said people who settled on wetlands should move away before the law took its course. “EMA is still also urging those settled on wetlands and along stream banks to move away from those areas, and to stop wetland and streambank cultivation, for the good of the environment and that of public health. It’s time for the public to uphold ‘the prevention is better than cure’ agenda in environmental management by following all necessary guidance given by the agency and other relevant authorities, and in the process protect the environment and the health of the public,” Sidange said in a statement. “Chief among these activities is cultivating and infrastructural developments in wetlands and along streambanks. On that note, the agency is urging the public not to buy stands in areas they suspect to be wetlands or when they are not sure of the extent of their ecologically sensitivity, as doing so will result in delays in development or even loss of investment when development is rejected on site suitability, or even prosecution for developments in ecologically sensitive areas without authority from the agency,” she said. Sidange continued: “The agency carries out ecological assessments for free. However, the agency does not allocate land, but only ensures that any proposed development is ecologically sound, socially acceptable and environmentally safe. The public should remain vigilant, and notify the agency when they suspect any developments in wetland areas without authority.” She said EMA was currently working on the gazetting of all ecologically sensitive areas in line with section 113 of Environmental Management Act (CAP 20:27), for the City of Harare and Municipality of Chitungwiza, to ring fence wetlands as protected areas. “And this will come with ecologically sensi