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Patrick Chitumba  Senior Reporter
Nearly 40 service stations in Bulawayo face closure by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA)  for failing to comply with regulations aimed at protecting the environment.EMA has accused the service stations of discharging oil in open spaces for the past seven months after failing to put in place oil containment systems on site.

Addressing journalists after a media tour in Bulawayo, EMA Bulawayo provincial environmental manager Decent Ndlovu said out of 58 service stations served with orders to put in place measures to stop the pollution, only 20 had complied.

He said some of the service stations were in the process of addressing the problem, while others had not started.

“Those who don’t comply with the order risk shutting down,” said Ndlovu.

He said service stations were supposed to put oil separators by digging openings around their sites, to collect the oil for reuse.

“If it rains or anything, the oil will flow into the openings and the oil will be collected there. It means the oil will not flow into the council drainage system,” he said.

He said under the Environment Act as well as under the new Constitution, everyone has a right to a clean and safe environment.

“We’re also guided by the Statutory Instrument 6 of 2007 that deals with effluent and solid waste management,” he said.