‘United effort key in fight against environmental degradation’

GOVERNMENT departments should forge a united front in the war against environmental damage by miners, experts have said.

Unclaimed pits, some of them left by large mining houses, continue to haunt the communities, claiming the lives of humans and wildlife.

“To curb the disturbing development, ministries tasked with mining issues in the district should team up during visits and educate miners in safeguarding the environment,” Mberengwa district development co-ordinator Jeffias Hlabati said.

He was outlining recommendations of a one-day workshop by mining stakeholders organised by the Zimbabwe Mining Safety Health Environmental Council (ZIMSHEC) and Action Aid in Zvishavane on Wednesday.

ZIMSHEC has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mberengwa district to educate small-scale and artisanal miners on the importance of responsible mining with zero harm to humans and the environment.

The meeting was also attended by traditional leaders.

“Before miners are arrested for crimes against the environment, it is important that they are educated through awareness campaigns which should be done by the key stakeholders,” Hlabati said.

The meeting, dubbed Environmental Sustainability Stakeholder Engagement Meeting, also recommended local leadership involvement and recognition of artisanal miners as an integral part of the country’s mining industry.

It also recommended the long overdue decentralisation of the mining offices to districts for effective monitoring of mining activities.

Local authorities were also encouraged to consider having bylaws to force miners to reclaim damaged land.

ActionAid country manager Peter Clever Matimati said his organisation would work with ZIMSHEC to better the lives of disadvantaged communities in poverty alleviation.

Matimati said ActionAid would also help fund programmes designed to guard the environment.

An official from the Environmental Management Agency in Mberengwa, Innocent Chisi, said mining also posed a threat to the wildlife habitat.

“It is correct that 90% of people in Mberengwa survive on mining, but there is massive invasion of wildlife habitat, resulting in human and wildlife space conflicts,” Chisi said.

Thousands of artisanal, smallscale and commercial miners hunt for precious minerals in Mberengwa which is rich in gold, lithium, chrome and dozens of other minerals.