BULAWAYO mayor David Coltart has raised serious concerns over continued rampant environmental degradation caused by illegal and uncontrolled mining activities in the Umzingwane Dam catchment area.
He warned that the destruction threatens Bulawayo’s future water security and the livelihoods of surrounding communities.
In a statement following a tour of areas south of Bulawayo within the catchment zone, Coltart said he was “horrified” by the scale of destruction being inflicted on rivers, tributaries and mountains by miners operating with “total impunity”.
“I visited a variety of sites south of Bulawayo in the Umzingwane Dam catchment area and I am horrified by the unchecked and rampant destruction of river systems and entire mountains in that area,” he said.
Coltart said despite government pronouncements against riverbed mining and environmental destruction, the activities continue unabated and appear to be escalating.
“It is clear to me that despite government stating that river bed and other environmental destruction should stop, it is continuing. Indeed, it is escalating,” he said.
Keep Reading
- Outrage over school uniform prices
- Schools reopen amid deepening teacher crisis
- Village Rhapsody: Sanctions are not the reason Zim is in a mess
- Outrage over school uniform prices
According to Coltart, mountains are being destroyed while tributaries are being blocked by mining operations, severely affecting the ecosystem and threatening water inflows into Bulawayo’s dams.
Coltart said what disturbed him even more was the plight of local communities living near the mining areas, particularly children who were not attending school and were living in poverty despite the wealth being extracted from the area.
“Perhaps what was even more distressing are all the little children I saw clearly not in school and impoverished,” he said.
“Despite the vast amount of money being extracted from these mountains and rivers nothing is being done by these miners to uplift the local communities.
“There are no schools or clinics being built. All that is happening is the destruction of roads, rivers, grazing areas and the local habitat.”
Coltart also expressed concern over rising social problems linked to the mining boom, including alcohol abuse and the emergence of informal drinking spots near mining areas.
“In addition I observed many young men who are clearly drinking heavily and frequenting shebeens which have sprung up in the vicinity of the mining.
“So it is clear that the moral fabric of these societies is being destroyed along with the utter destruction of the environment.”
He warned that continued environmental degradation in the catchment area could have devastating long-term implications for Bulawayo’s water supply, especially with forecasts pointing to another possible El Niño-induced drought season next year.
“As I have also stated, this mining is wreaking havoc on our ability to capture rain water in our dams.
“With El Niño predicted next year I am deeply worried about our medium to long term water supply situation if this doesn’t stop now.”
He accused miners of exploiting the country’s natural resources for massive profits while failing to invest in local development or rehabilitation of damaged land.
“These miners are milking our nation. With the gold price where it is they are generating massive profits but none of that wealth is being invested in local communities,” said Coltart.
“It is equally clear that once particular areas have been mined out they are just left without any effort being made to rehabilitate the areas mined so that they can be used by local communities in future.”
The Bulawayo mayor called for urgent intervention from government, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Environmental Management Agency to halt the destruction and enforce environmental regulations.