Harare City Council Claims Lake Chivero Is Not Contaminated
The City of Harare said that reports of contamination at Lake Chivero are exaggerated, despite confirmation from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) that several animals, including four rhinos, three zebras, four wildebeests, four fish eagles, as well as multiple goats and cattle, have died after drinking water from the lake.
In a statement issued on Monday, the City of Harare said a stakeholder meeting had been convened, bringing together council experts and representatives from other government agencies to address the reports of animal deaths linked to alleged contamination.
The council also said that further investigations will be conducted, and a joint statement from the City of Harare and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) will be issued in due course. Said the City of Harare:
Teams are already on the ground to take samples on the particular part of the lake the rhinos drink from. Animals are territorial and it appears they drink from the same place.
Residents are urged to ignore exaggerated social media and media reports that the whole lake has been contaminated.
Earlier, Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said that the deaths were caused by contamination from cyanobacteria in the lake’s water.
More: Pindula News
