By Draious Kapembwa
TWO environmentalists have petitioned the National Assembly of Zambia to enquire into the degazetion of a portion of Forest 27 in Lusaka east by former president Edgar Lungu.
Drawing their strength from the National Assembly Standing Order number 123, William Harrington and Robert Chimambo as principal and second petitioner respectively seek an enquiry into the degazetion of 1,100 hectares of the Lusaka East Local Forest Reserve number 27.
‘’…Respectfully request the National Assembly of Zambia to urgently enquire into the degazetion of that portion of over 1,100 hectors of the Lusaka East Local Forest Reserve no. 27 (FR No. 27) by 6th republican president Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
The above-mentioned forest mass was degazeted by 6th republican president Edgar Chagwa Lungu just prior to the August 12, 2021 general elections to pave way for an extensive residential and other housing development for a targeted group of citizens,” the duo stated in a letter dated July 22, 2022. “That action by president Lungu was in total disregard of the fact that FR No. 27 has since pre-colonial times been and continues to be a critical and sensitive and strategic ecological zone. It is a water catchment for the local Chongwe and Chalimbana people as well as an aquifer for the residents of the greater city of Lusaka. The housing development will result in the medium to long-term contamination of the surface and underground water to the detriment of the people who depend on it for livelihood and wellbeing. Construction of hundreds of soak-aways for disposal of feacal matter as well as poisonous and hazardous household chemicals are a danger to the health of citizens from water-born life threatening diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and typhoid. It is for this reason that the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and the Water Resources Management Authority (warma) both created by Acts of parliament do not support the housing development in principle.”
Quoting the Constitution, the duo noted that people had a right to safe and clean water.
“The Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) No. 2 of 2016. Through our petition, we are requesting parliament to take serious note of the provisions of Constitution of Zambia which under Bill of Rights Part V, Social and Economic Rights at section 52 sub-section (1) states that: ‘a person has a right to clean and safe water’. This basic human right enshrined in the supreme law of the land should not be denied to the people,” stated the duo