CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction

The previous chapter introduces the whole research. This chapter reviews related literature to the

impacts of pollution on the environment. Literature review is an assessment of information

related to the study being conducted. This mainly involves what other scholars or researchers

have done towards the investigation so as to have direction. It is not likely that the researcher

may be the pioneer in the area of study identified, it is highly essential to benefit from the effort

of the other researchers who have worked in the related study area. Land and air pollution is a

serious problem that impacts humans, animals, and the earth. Without taking measures now to

reduce pollution levels, permanent changes to the land can occur. The adverse changes to the

environment due to land and air pollution are subtle, but the problem is much bigger than it

appears. Even though most people have a general understanding of pollution, they may not

realize the significance of land pollution and air pollution. The causes or sources of air and

pollution, impacts of land and air pollution and measures to reduce air and land pollution are

discussed giving views of different authors on previous studies.

2.2 Causes or sources of air and land pollution

Pollution is a serious environmental problem worldwide. Land and air pollution are some of the

the more serious pollutions because it affects many people, animals and plants. Various causes of

pollution will be discussed in the next section giving references to the previous studies.
2.2.1 Mining

Although there are many responsible mining companies, and environmental laws now tightly

restrict mining in some countries, mines remain among the most obvious scars on (and under) the

landscape. Surface mining (sometimes called quarrying or opencast mining) requires the removal

of topsoil (the fertile layer of soil and organic matter that is particularly valuable for agriculture)

to get at the valuable rocks below (Bartia, 2007). Such process of mining will led to land and air

pollution. Even if the destruction of topsoil is the worst that happens, it can turn a productive

landscape into a barren one, which is a kind of land pollution (Keloshandi, 2012). Most metals,

for example, occur in rocky mixtures called ores, from which the valuable elements have to be

extracted by chemical, electrical, or other processes. That leaves behind waste products and the

chemicals used to process them, which historically were simply dumped back on the land while

the drilling of different rocks will led to emission of different gases exerted undergrounded.

Since all the waste was left in one place, the concentration of pollution often became

dangerously high (Hill, 2012).

A 2004 study showed that China’s overall land reclamation rate to its strip mining operations

was only about ten to twelve percent. And a problem when the reclamation is attempted is that

the land has become so degraded it often cannot support newly seeded growth. Studies in US

western states showed success rates of new seedlings taking purchase between ten and thirty

percent (WHO, 2011). Underground mining brings a lot of waste earth and rocks to the surface

where it is left. This waste often becomes toxic when exposed to air and water.
2.2.2 Urbanization

Humans have been making permanent settlements for at least 10,000 years and, short of some

major accident or natural disaster, most of the cities and towns we've created, and the

infrastructure that keeps them running, will remain with us for thousands more years into the

future (Mapira, 2011). With over 7 billion people on the planet, it might come as a surprise to

find that humans have urbanized only about 3 percent of Earth's total land surface, though almost

a third of the total land area has been transformed if we include agriculture. One of the problems

of urbanization is that, by concentrating people, it concentrates their waste products at the same

time. So, for example, crudely disposing of sewage from a big city automatically creates water or

land pollution, where the same number of people and the same volume of sewage might not

create a problem if it were created in 10 smaller cities or 100 small towns (GoZ, 2009).

Urban centres when combined with industrial sectors become more hazardous from the

standpoint of environmental problems and pollution. Huge quantity of aerosols and gases is

emitted from Chimneys of factories and vehicles which form "Dust Domes" over the cities.

These Dust Domes cause 'Pollution Domes' over the cities (WHO, 2011). Teta (2014) found out

that the urban and industrial growth has resulted into rapid rate of deterioration of the quality of

air because of heavy pollution of air through gases and aerosols emitted from the vehicles,

factories and house-hold appliances. About 60 per cent, of the pollution of Indian capital city of

Delhi is contributed by vehicles, Calcutta and Bombay metropolitan areas have also reached high

level of air pollution. According to the survey report of the National Environmental Research
Institute, Nagpur (India) the level of air pollution in Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras,

Ahmedabad, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Nagpur etc. has gone up. Besides industrial wastes

from industrial cities, huge quantity of urban solid wastes also creates environmental problems

(Hill, 2012). The quantity of urban solid wastes is rapidly increasing with urban expansion and

growth in urban population.

The study by Mapira (2011) in Masvingo City found out that concentration is always a key factor

when we talk about land pollution. Having said that, it's important to remember that

urbanization, when it works, can also help people to live very efficiently. Thus, New York has

the lowest ecological footprint of any state in the USA, largely because people there have smaller

homes and make greater use of public transportation (Hogan, 2014). The present study will

establish the extent to which urbanization is leading to land and air pollution in the area under

this study.

2.2.3 Burning of Fossil Fuels

Sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other factory

combustibles is one the major cause of air pollution (Hogan, 2014). Pollution emitting from

vehicles including trucks, jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes cause immense amount of pollution. We

rely on them to fulfill our daily basic needs of transportation (Hill, 2012). But, there overuse is

killing our environment as dangerous gases are polluting the environment. The study by Alberti

in Nigeria in 2010 indicated that carbon monoxide caused by improper or incomplete

combustion and generally emitted from vehicles is another major pollutant along with Nitrogen

Oxides, which is produced from both natural and man-made processes. Manufacturing industries
release large amount of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals into

the air thereby depleting the quality of air.

Manufacturing industries can be found at every corner of the earth and there is no area that has

not been affected by it. Petroleum refineries also release hydrocarbons and various other

chemicals that pollute the air and also cause land pollution. Although some studies have been

conducted in Glenview 8 on pollution but the studies did not well document if the home industry

use machines burning fossil fuels which cause pollution.

2.2.4 Agricultural activities

Ammonia is a very common by product from agriculture related activities and is one of the most

hazardous gases in the atmosphere. Use of insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural

activities has grown quite a lot. They emit harmful chemicals into the air and can also cause

water pollution (Hill, 2012). Agricultural development means expansion of agricultural land

increase in agricultural productivity and net agricultural production. It is due to development of

modern scientific techniques, advanced technologies, increased production and use of chemical

fertilizers, expansion in irrigational facilities, development of high yielding varieties of seeds,

etc. This has solved the problem of growing demand of food due to ever increasing world

population on the one hand; it has also created or is creating hazardous environmental problems

of serious concern on the other hand. Thus modern economic and technological man is at the

cross road of dangers in all.

2.2. Industrial Development

The glittering effects of industrialization have affected the mind of the general public that

industrialisation is now being considered as the parameter of modernity and as a necessary

element of socio-economic development of a nation (Bind, 2014). Rapid rate of industrialization

resulted into rapid rate of exploitation of natural resources and increased industrial output. Both

the components of industrial development e.g. exploitation of natural resources and industrial

production have created several lethal environmental problems and have caused large scale

environmental problems and ecological imbalance at global, regional and local levels in a variety

of ways. Besides desired production there are numerous undesired outputs from the factories

such as industrial wastes, polluted water, toxic gases, chemical precipitates, aerosol ashes and

smokes etc. which pollute air, water, land, soils etc., and thus degrade the environment (Bartia,

2007; Hogan, 2014) The industrialized countries have increased the concentration of pollutants

emitted from the factories in the air, water and land to such an extent that they have degraded the

environment to the critical limit and have brought the human society on the brink of its

destruction (Hill, 2012).

The adverse effects of industrialization may change the overall character of natural system and

the chain effects sometimes become suicidal for human society. Majority of the impacts of

industrialization are related to pollution and environmental degradation (Hill, 2012). The release

of toxic elements into the environment through the application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides

and insecticides (output of chemical industries) changes the food chains and food webs and

physical and chemical properties of soils (Mapira, 2011).

The study by Hogan (2014) indicated that increasing industrial expansion is responsible for the

release of enormous quantities of pollutants (e.g.) ions of chlorine, sulphate, bicarbonate, nitrate,

sodium, magnesium, phosphate, through sewage effluents into the atmosphere, rivers and the

lakes and thus for contaminating the water. Release of several gases, smokes, ashes and other

aerosols from the chimneys of the factories adversely affects the environment in a number of

ways. The burning of hydrocarbon fuels (coal and petroleum) has increased the concentration of

C02 in the atmosphere and thus has changed the natural gaseous composition of the atmosphere

(Hogan, 2012). The increase in the construction of C02 content of the atmosphere may change

global radiation and heat balance by increasing the level of sensible heat in the atmosphere

because C02 intensifies the greenhouse effects of the atmosphere as C02 allows the solar

radiation to pass through the atmosphere and reach the earth's surface but stops the outgoing long

wave terrestrial radiation from escaping to the space release of chlorofluoro carbon in the

atmosphere causes depletion of ozone layer (Hill, 2012).

Industrial activities often release toxic and material wastes onto the land or into the atmosphere

where they settle onto the land. While most developed countries now regulate land dumping and

emissions, the regulations balance the costs to industry and do not necessarily adequately

safeguard the integrity of our biosphere or more specifically, human health (Teta, 2014). Too,

many developing countries have little or no enforced regulation. For example the studty by

Kelishandi (2012) reveals that although cassava is the third most consumed carbohydrate in the

world, the practice of dumping its toxic byproducts that is, hazardous solid and liquid residues

directly onto the land, continues in Nigeria today. A recent study of the effects on the soil of

dumping cassava showed many deleterious effects to the previously arable land. The heavy
metals bring about harmful changes in the microbiological, mineral and physiochemical

composition of soils around the mills (Hogan, 2014). In this study the researcher will find out the

industrial related activities responsible for causing land and air pollution in the study area.

2.2 Waste disposal

Humans produce vast quantities of waste in factories and offices, in homes and schools, and in

such unlikely places as hospitals. Even the most sophisticated waste processing plants, which use

plasma torches (electrically controlled "flames" at temperatures of thousands of degrees) to turn

waste into gas, produce solid waste products that have to be disposed of somehow (Hill, 2012).

Nothing illustrates the problem of waste disposal more clearly than radioactive waste. When

scientists discovered how to create energy by splitting atoms in nuclear power plants, they also

created the world's hardest waste disposal problem (Teta, 2014). Nuclear plants produce toxic

waste that can remain dangerously radioactive for thousands of years and, what's worse, will

contaminate anything or anyone that comes into contact with it. Nuclear plants that have suffered

catastrophic accidents (including the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine, which exploded in 1986,

and the Fukushima plant in Japan, which was damaged by an earthquake in 2011) are generally

sealed with concrete and abandoned indefinitely.

Not surprisingly, local communities object vociferously to having nuclear waste stored anywhere

near them (Hill, 2012). In the Zimbabwean context although most of the waste produced is

relatively harmless and easy to dispose of (blue), around one fifth of it (orange, yellow, and

green) is dangerous or toxic and extremely difficult to get rid of without automatically
contaminating land (Mapira, 2011). The present study will sought to find out the toxic wastes

being produced in Glenview 8 home industry.

2.3 Effects of air and land pollution on the environment

The contamination of the land and air has far-reaching consequences that can be catastrophic for

water, soil, and animals. There are several possible consequences of land and air pollution to the

environment and animals.

2.3.1 Soil pollution

Soil pollution is another form of land pollution, where the upper layer of the soil is damaged.

This is caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers, soil erosion caused by running water and

other pest control measures; this leads to loss of fertile land for agriculture, forest cover, fodder

patches for grazing etc (Hogan, 2011). Soil pollution is categorized under land pollution. Hence,

when there is overuse of fertilizer chemicals or lands are degraded through chemical and solid

waste dumping, the upper layer of the soil is damaged, causing soil pollution. The effects of

agricultural, healthcare, and chemical wastes are the principal land pollution aspects causing soil

pollution (Hill, 2012). Healthcare waste such as broken instruments and metals or industrial

consumer product waste like broken electronics are all contaminated waste that may end up in

landfills thereby destroying the soils and land on which they eventually wind up, upsetting the

land ecosystems. Ultimately, the land losses its fertility and vegetation cover (GoZ, 2009). The

present study will assess if the chemicals used by the industrialists in the study area affect the

land cover or pollute the land.

2.3.2 Change in climate patterns

Emissions of pollutants into the air can result in changes to the climate. Ozone in the atmosphere

warms the climate, while different components of particulate matter (PM) can have either

warming or cooling effects on the climate (Chandiwana, 2006). For example, black carbon, a

particulate pollutant from combustion, contributes to the warming of the Earth, while particulate

sulfates cool the earth's atmosphere. Climate changes can result in impacts to air quality.

Atmospheric warming associated with climate change has the potential to increase ground-level

ozone in many regions, which may present challenges for compliance with the ozone standards

in the future (Hill, 2012). The impact of climate change on other air pollutants, such as

particulate matter, is less certain, but researches are underway to address these uncertainties.

In agreement Mukute et al., (2012) avers that air pollution and climate change are closely related.

The main sources of CO2 emissions the extraction and burning of fossil fuels are not only key

drivers of climate change, but also major sources of air pollutants. Furthermore, many air

pollutants that are harmful to human health and ecosystems also contribute to climate change by

affecting the amount of incoming sunlight that is reflected or absorbed by the atmosphere, with

some pollutants warming and others cooling the Earth (May, 2014). These so-called short-lived

climate-forcing pollutants (SLCPs) include methane, black carbon, ground-level ozone, and

sulfate aerosols. They have significant impacts on the climate; black carbon and methane in

particular are among the top contributors to global warming after CO2
On the other hand the effects of land pollution are very hazardous and can lead to the loss of

ecosystems. When land is polluted, it directly or indirectly affects the climate patterns (GoZ,

2009). Land pollution can affect the general environment of the Earth. Land pollution leads to a

depletion in forest covers. This is in turn going to affect the amount of rain. Less rains mean

lesser vegetation (Hogan, 2012). The effect of all different kinds of pollution will eventually lead

to problems like acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and global warming. All of these problems

have already begun, and need to be curbed before the situation runs out of control (Mapira,

2011). The present study will assess if the communities are experiencing characteristics of

climate change or variability which they might suspect to be caused by climate change. .

2.3.3 Effect on wildlife

The animal kingdom has suffered mostly in the past decades due to pollution (Alberti, 2010).

They face a serious threat with regards to loss of habitat and natural environment. The constant

human activity on land, is leaving it polluted; forcing these species to move further away and

adapt to new regions or die trying to adjust. Several species are pushed to the verge of extinction,

due to no homeland. Species are pushed towards endangerment and extinction primarily by two

processes; habitat fragmentation and habitat destruction (Chinhanga, 2010). In the last 500 years,

the planet has lost about 869 species of plants and animals, because of human negligence that

forced them into extinction (WHO, 2011). Animals, or wildlife, are vulnerable to harm from air

pollution. Pollutant issues of concern include acid rain, heavy metals, persistent organic

pollutants (POPs) and other toxic substances. Insects, worms, clams, fish, birds and mammals,
all interact with their environment in different ways. As a result, each animal's exposure and

vulnerability to the impacts of air pollution can be equally different (Hill, 2012).

Acid rain caused by air pollution can change the chemistry and quality of soils and water. For

example, water bodies can become too acidic for some animals to survive or have normal

physiological functions (Hill, 2012). Alternatively, acid rain can increase the release of heavy

metals, such as aluminum, from soils into water habitats. The result is higher availability of

heavy metals in the water column, which are very toxic to many animals including fish. Some

heavy metals, such as mercury, can be transported in the air long distances away from emission

sources (Mapira, 2011). Although not as well understood, other forms of air pollution, such as

smog, particulate matter , and ground-level ozone, to mention a few, likely affect wildlife health

in similar ways to human health including harming the lungs and cardiovascular systems. An

animal's vulnerability to air pollution is influenced by how it breathes - whether it uses lungs,

gills or some other form of gas exchange, such as passive diffusion across the surface of the skin

(Keloishandi, 2012).

In the recent decades, the wildlife animals have tremendously suffered as they have persistently

faced a serious threat regarding the loss of their natural habitat and environment. The continued

human economic activities on land have progressively left the lands degraded and polluted

forcing wildlife to move further away and adapt to new areas. Consequently, some species have

died while trying to adapt, some have gone extinct, and several are currently on the verge of
extinction. The present study sought to found out if there are wildlife being affected by the

activities carried out in Glenview 8 home industry.

2.3.4 Water Pollution

Land pollution can spread in all directions so that it results in an adverse impact on the

immediate environments. On this basis, it can contaminate water and significantly reduce its

quality (Mapira and Mangwini, 2005). It happens when the chemicals and other toxic substances

from the landfills and solid wastes are mostly carried into waterways by surface rainwater runoff.

The study by Mapira (2011) in Sakubva, Mutare indicated that as a result of poor solid waste

management leaching takes place which makes the toxic elements and chemicals to infiltrate into

aquifers and water tables. Also, the contaminated water evaporates and falls back as precipitation

with the impurities, advancing the cycle of pollution and contamination (Hogan, 2014).

Chemicals, such as nitrogen, are used frequently on farms. Only a small portion of the nutrients

end up benefitting the crops. The remainder usually ends up in water that is populated by fish,

algae, and other lifeforms (Hogan, 2012). The nutrient-heavy water saps up most of the oxygen

in the water, which leaves little for fish and other life. When this happens, the water is unable to

support most lifeforms (Bind, 2014). The researcher will assess if the activities carried out at

Glenview 8 lead to land pollution which can finally pollute the water sources or ground water.

2.3.5 Global warming and depletion of ozone layer

Another direct effect is the immediate alterations that the world is witnessing due to global

warming. With increased temperatures world wide, increase in sea levels and melting of ice from

colder regions and icebergs, displacement and loss of habitat have already signaled an impending

disaster if actions for preservation and normalization aren’t undertaken soon (May, 2014).

Harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are released into the atmosphere during the

burning of fossil fuels. When it rains, the water droplets combines with these air pollutants,

becomes acidic and then falls on the ground in the form of acid rain. Acid rain can cause great

damage to human, animals and crops (Mukute et al, 2012). Murisa (2012) noted that ozone exists

in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV)

rays. Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro

chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. As ozone layer will go thin, it will emit harmful rays

back on earth and can cause skin and eye related problems. UV rays also have the capability to

affect crops (Chinhanga, 2010).

2.4. Ways of reducing air and land pollution

There are possible solutions to the problem of air and land pollution which includes including

preventive and punitive measures, technological adjustments, recycling of waste materials and

pollution awareness campaigns.

2.4.1 Preventive measures

These are strategies aimed at curbing or reducing air pollution. They include the use of clean

energy sources such as electricity which tend to reduce dependency on fossil fuels such as coal,

wood and oil. However, since Zimbabwe is a developing country, it lacks the capacity to
implement this solution in the near future. Compared to other sub-Saharan countries, its per

capita energy consumption of fossil fuels is quite high (Chandiwana, 2006). The rural

electrification programme which was launched a decade ago is not likely to yield major changes

as it leaves many villagers, and rural communities un-served (Mukute, et. al, 2012). Investing in

Renewables If undertaking new energy-efficient building initiatives is out of the question, or an

organization simply can’t afford to put solar panels on buildings, there are alternatives (Teta,

2014). The mitigation of carbon footprints through the development of alternative projects, such

as solar or wind energy or reforestation, represents one way of reducing a carbon footprint and is

often known as Carbon Offsetting (Bind, 2014). The study sought to find out if there are any

preventive measures practised in Glenview 8 home industry as a way of preventing air and land

pollution.

2.4.2 Punitive measures

These include the imposition of fines and jail terms on polluters, increasing penalties on culprits,

such as industries, institutions and some individuals. However, the effectiveness of these

measures has been questioned in the past (Chandiwana, 2006). Furthermore, although EMA has

employed punitive measures since its inception in 2007, there is no evidence of behavior change

at the grass roots level (Mapira, 2011). In rural areas veld fires have been on the increase while

in towns and cities industries continue to puff out clouds of smoke. Exhaust fumes from motor

vehicles pose an environmental health challenge. On the other hand sewage bursts gush out raw

effluent in some urban areas thereby releasing bad odours and smells (Mapira, 2011a). From

these facts, it is obvious that other possible solutions should be considered.

However, there is a need for a long term perspective on these alternatives since a lot of planning

and financial resources would be required in order to implement them. This is because many

industries in Zimbabwe still depend on fossil fuels, as mentioned previously. Hydro-electric

power relies on the availability of perennial supplies of flowing water. But most rivers in the

country have seasonal flow regimes which cannot guarantee constant water flow throughout the

year. The construction of large dams would provide a solution if it were not for chronic droughts

induced by the El Nino phenomenon (Hill, 2012). Although solar and wind energy are abundant

in Zimbabwe, they have not yet been fully exploited due to the lack of funds (Mapira, 2011). The

researcher will assess the source of power being used in the study area and its impact on land and

air quality.

2.4.3 Reduce, Recycle and Reuse

The new demand for sustainable solid waste management requires new paradigm configured as

‘3Rs’ or ‘RRR’ in which the first ‘R’ stands for reduce, the next ‘R’ for reuse and the other ‘R’

for recycle. With regards to utilization, the ‘3Rs’ could be used as policy tool and/or

assessment/analytical tool (UNESCAP, 2009). The ‘3Rs’ model provides the basis for a

comprehensive management strategy of waste; with the principal aim fashioned to address

health, environmental, aesthetic, land-use, resource and economic concerns associated with

improper disposal of waste which meant to address land and air pollution (UNESCAP, 2009).

Proper implementation of the ‘3Rs’ strategy would engender conversion of solid wastes into new

resources, reducing environmental pollution and optimizing natural resource utilization. For

example, Driven by blight of uncollected solid waste in public places, smoke from burning of

solid waste, the disgusting odour from decomposed waste, contamination of drinking water
sources and outbreaks of diseases like cholera, the government of Ghana adopted the ‘3Rs’

model to provide policy directives to municipal authorities to solve the solid waste menace;

enjoying legal backing following the promulgation of the Local Government Act (Act 462).

As a result of this, ‘3Rs’ processes, the maximum benefit is minimization of waste volume,

decline in the reliance on landfills, decrease in the environmental costs associated with

management, and improvement in serious public health concerns. In addition, some landfills or

incinerators recover energy efficiently (WHO, 2011). Recycling of waste materials as an air

pollution mitigation strategy is also effective. Instead of burning garbage and other forms of

solid waste towns and cities can recycle them. To reduce solid waste pollution on land, you can

reuse materials such as cloth, plastic bags and glass in your home rather than disposing of them

(Mapira, 2011). By recycling, you reduce the amount of solid refuse going to landfills and also

make a contribution toward saving natural resources. For example, according to the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, when a company recycles 1 ton of paper, it saves an

equivalent of 17 trees (WHO, 2011). The study sought to find out if the three ‘R’s are being used

or implemented at Glenview 8 home industry.

2.3.4 Reducing Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides

Plants require soil nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium and phosphorous for growth and

development. Also, crops come under attack from rodents, insects and bacteria, so farmers

require pesticides to protect the plants (Hogan, 2014). The use of fertilizers and pesticides in

agriculture, however, leads to other problems. Some raw materials can contaminate the soil. For
instance, copper and boron in fertilizers, and organochlorine in pesticides, can harm the

environment and create health risks when products are used in wrong proportions or over a long

period of time (Mukute et al, 2013).To prevent such damage, farmers should use composted

manure and bio-fertilizers biologically active products such as algae and bacteria that can help

initiate nitrogen fixation in soil. Biological methods of pest control such as importation –

introducing a pest’s natural enemy in a location where they do not naturally occur also minimize

soil pollution (May, 2014).

2.5 Environmental legislation in Zimbabwe on pollution

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) conducts programs of vehicle emissions tests

during random road blocks within these high traffic prone areas of the country, to help curb the

environmental emissions pollution from vehicles (EMA, 2014). EMA conducts these tests in as a

way to enforce the standards which are enshrined within the Statutory Instrument 72 of 2009

(EMA, 2011). Emission standards are legal requirements governing air emissions or pollutants

released into the atmosphere. Vehicle test kits are used during these road blocks to determine the

level of emissions from motor vehicles. Failure by the vehicle to release the levels that are within

the permissible limits will attract a fine to the motorist (Mapira, 2011). The environmental

management agency urges all vehicle owners to ensure that their vehicles are well conditioned

and run efficiently to reduce levels of pollution. In the present study the research ought to find

out if there any tests kits used by the responsible authorities in curbing pollution in the study area
Zimbabwe’s laws on air and land pollution are enshrined in three government documents,

namely: the Atmospheric Pollution Act (CAP 20: 03) of 1996, the Environmental Management

Act (CAP 20: 27) of 2002, and the promulgated Environmental Policy and Strategies of 2009

(G.o.Z, 2009). For air pollution the Acts seek to control four types of air pollution, namely:

noxious and offensive gases, smoke, dust and fumes from internal combustion engines. They

also prescribe the penalties which should be meted out to offenders. The Acts specify air quality

standards which should be maintained at all times. The Environmental Management Act in

Section 63 states that: ‘Any person who emits any substances which cause substantial air

pollution and land pollution…in contravention of emission standards established under this Part

shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for a period of not more than five years

or to a fine of not more than fifteen million (Zimbabwean) dollars or both such fine and such

imprisonment’ (G.o.Z. 2009: 379). In addition, the offender has to pay the cost of removal of the

pollution as well as the reclamation or restitution or compensation as determined by courts of

law. However, a major problem is that EMA is under-funded, under-resourced, and under-staffed

at national, provincial and district levels (Chimhowu, et.al, 2010). These problems limit the

organization’s capacity to execute its mandate. But this is not surprising as Zimbabwe has often

been accused of lacking political will when it comes to environmental issues (EMA, 2014).

Zimbabwe’s environmental policy advocates international cooperation on air pollution

prevention and control. The guiding principle enshrined in the policy document is that every

person has the right to clean air and a healthy environment. In order to achieve this goal several

strategies are employed (G.o.Z, 2009). Firstly, there is an integrated strategy for the control and

management of air quality at national level. It is the responsibility of the Standards Association
of Zimbabwe (SAZ) to develop air quality standards for industry and other interested and

affected parties. Secondly, any development projects which negatively affect air quality have to

be subjected to environmental impact assessments (EIAs). Appropriate, preventive and

mitigating measures should comply with any environmental management plan (EMP). Thirdly,

there are regulations which control gaseous and particulate emissions from point sources. Some

are also aimed at discouraging widespread deforestation and encouraging afforestation so as to

increase carbon storage in plants and soils. Fourthly, incentives are provided to industries which

reduce air pollution in their operations. Measures are also in place to encourage the replacement

of old motor vehicles and industrial plants which cause air pollution. This is facilitated through

research efforts which are aimed at developing environmentally friendly technologies.

Mechanisms are also in place to support the research and monitoring which are required to

effectively control air pollution in the country. Finally, Zimbabwe cooperates with its neighbours

in order to reduce air pollution through the promotion of cleaner energy sources such as solar,

wind and water. In the present study the researcher will assess if the pollution legislations are

being effectively implemented.

2.5 Conclusion

Land and atmosphere is such an important part of this planet that we cannot afford to pollute or

degrade it. The most of the causes of land and air pollution are actually human activities. Some

of them are deliberate while others happen due to lack of information and others as accidents.

Many of the factors that cause land and air pollution could be avoided if only we became

proactive and realized that the conservation of the planet is every human being’s responsibility.
This chapter reviewed related literature on the impacts of pollution on the environment

specifically air and land pollution. The next chapter will outline the research methodology to be

used in this study.

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