Water reservoirs in Penhalonga face contamination and collapse if the Mines ministry fails to stop illegal mining in the area, Mutasa South legislator Regai Tsunga (MDC Alliance) has warned.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI
The legislator wrote a letter, seen by NewsDay, to Mines minister Winston Chitando on April 14 warning that artisanal miners were carrying out their illegal activities on banks of water sources.
“I write to kindly request your good office to urgently intervene and stop the illegal/artisanal gold mining that is happening just by the water reservoirs at Tsvingwe in Penhalonga ward 21 Mutasa South constituency in Manicaland province,” the letter read.
“The water reservoirs are at risk of not only contamination, but also imminent collapse due to the excavations. If this happens, residents of Penhalonga will not have potable water supply, thus exposing them to contracting diseases such as cholera and, indeed, coronavirus.
“The said mining activities not only clearly threaten the residents’ right to safe, clean and potable water as enshrined in section 77(a) of the Constitution. Residents have registered quite strongly their disapproval of this mining adventure as seen in their social media groups.”
In response, Chitando said his office was now seized with the matter.
“Thank you Honourable Tsunga for alerting us of the need to deal with dangerous operations threatening infrastructure. The issues are being forwarded to Manicaland provincial mining director Omen Dube so that he can deal with the matter,” Chitando responded.
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Illegal mining activities have been blamed for environmental degradation, siltation of rivers and dams around gold-rich areas and possible contamination of water sources with mercury used in gold extraction.
