National AMR Context
Zimbabwe faces a critical Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) crisis, partly driven by high antibiotic use, including in the rapidly expanding poultry sector. One of the critical environmental hazards includes resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. spreading from poultry abattoirs into water systems due to inadequate effluent treatment.
Common isolates like Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. exhibit high resistance to multiple antibiotics, particularly tetracycline, and sulphonamides. According to local surveillance (2021–2022), 52.7% of wastewater and river samples in Harare tested positive for highly drug-resistant Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli. The data also shows that nearly two-thirds of processed poultry samples contain highly drug-resistant Escherichia coli.
Poultry farms rely on toll slaughtering at abattoirs, turning these facilities into primary channels for discharging resistant microbes into public streams. To address these challenges, the project aims to implement a hybrid modular wastewater treatment system to reduce resistant bacteria, resistance genes and antimicrobial residues in poultry abattoir wastewater before it is discharged into the environment.
Problem
The project directly addresses critical environmental infrastructure, and public health gaps driving the spread of AMR in Zimbabwe. It mainly addresses the issue of soil and water pollution resulting from raw abattoir effluents with active antibiotic residues, resistant bacteria and resistance genes discharged directly into natural ecosystems.
Further, untreated abattoir wastewater is also frequently recycled to irrigate commercial crop farms, resulting in food chain transmission of resistant microbes. Downstream populations therefore face unknown exposure levels to dangerous multidrug-resistant pathogens from direct contact and use of contaminated soil, water and food.
Project overview
The project therefore aims to test an efficient, low-cost, and affordable hybrid modular wastewater treatment plant that can be used to efficiently remove resistant microbes, genes and residues before the abattoir effluent is released into the natural ecosystem.
The project is a multi-disciplinary initiative in Zimbabwe aimed at mitigating the environmental spread of AMR from the poultry sector. Operating under a One Health approach, the project integrates advanced wastewater engineering, economic analysis, behavioural science, and policy reforms to treat and regulate highly contaminated poultry abattoir effluent.
Intended outcomes
There are three main outcomes of this project, which include;
- Abattoirs operators using locally adapted and cost-effective wastewater treatment infrastructure.
- Regulators effectively applying knowledge learnt on the environmental dimensions of AMR.
- Decision makers have improved national environmental policies, regulations and guidelines for the management of abattoir wastewater related to residues, resistant bacteria and resistant genes.
“This project addresses a critical, historically overlooked gap in Zimbabwe’s One Health landscape; the role of poultry abattoir wastewater in disseminating antibiotic residues and resistant microbes into our communal water systems. We are profoundly grateful to ICARS. From the very beginning, ICARS stepped onto the ground for a hands-on scoping mission, engaging our Directorate and multi-sectoral ministries to map stakeholders and bridge the gap between policy and practice. Through intense weekly co-development sessions, technical advisory support, and vital fiduciary backing via BRTI, ICARS has evolved into a true partner. Their continuous advisory presence ensures we have the global technical assistance needed to successfully deploy locally adapted wastewater interventions and safeguard both environmental and public health.”
