All tanneries in Zimbabwe will have to close until measures are put in place to drastically reduce the amount of pollutants being releasing into the drinking water system.

The Zimbabwe government has ordered the closure of all tanneries and has given other industries six weeks to refurbish or install new effluent pre-treatment plans at their sites. This must be completed by 30 June, failing which they will be closed, The Herald reported.

Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Cabinet Committee on Water Pollution, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo, said local authorities, the Environmental Management Agency and the National Social Security Authority will regularly monitor the industries to ensure compliance.

Chombo said all service stations have been directed to install oil/silt interceptors at their properties by the end of June as a remedial measure. “It has been considered prudent that integrity checks be carried out by the operators under supervision of EMA and local authorities,” he said.

The minister said it is disheartening that dangerous pollutants are discharged directly into water bodies and the environment without the necessary prerequisite pre-treatment, posing threats to human, animal and aquatic life.