For the love of the environment

ZIMBABWE prides itself in its vast mineral resources and its empowerment policies that have seen a good number of people getting mining claims or mining rights, thereby leading to an increase in artisanal mining activities.

As a result, the mining sector is contributing immensely to the growth of the economy, with latest reports indicating that the sector contributes 12 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Although this is impressive, there is a need to balance such economic benefits and the sustainable use of natural resources. Unregulated and irresponsible mining will, in the long run, cause damage to the environment and affect both present and future generations.

Despite the threat of environmental degradation that comes with mining, it remains essential as it helps economies grow and improve standards of living. The mining and processing of minerals provides us with the building blocks required to form much of the infrastructure needed to support modern societies, especially as we work towards attaining Vision 2030.

However, the process of mining remains intense and invasive, and operations often leave large environmental impacts on the local surroundings as well as having wider implications for the environmental health of the planet. In fact, environmental hazards are present during and after all mining processes.

In Zimbabwe, the Mines and Minerals Act provides for the control on mining operations.

Section 73 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe also provides for the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being and to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations.

These regulations are important because unregulated mining has the potential to release harmful substances into the soil, air, and water. A wide range of stakeholders are impacted throughout the lifecycle of a mine, including the mine workers themselves as well as the surrounding communities.

As more mines open in the country, it is increasingly vital for those in the mining sector to use cutting-edge technology and more modern ways of extracting and processing minerals in order to minimise the damage on the environment.

During mining, there is excavation, crushing, and moving of tonnes of rocks, all of which significantly increase the amount of dust and particles in the air. The release of unrefined materials into the air during the exposure of mineral deposits on the surface through mining is inevitable, thereby affecting the air quality in the atmosphere.

Open pit mining, where material is excavated from an open pit, is one of the most common forms of mining for strategic minerals. This type of mining is particularly damaging to the environment because strategic minerals are often only available in small concentrations, which increases the amount of ore needed to be mined.

High water use in mining operations can also lead to reduced access to uncontaminated freshwater supplies and can result in a local area suffering from water stress.

Sadly, while the low-tech and small-scale subsistence operations known as artisanal mining are often unsafe, it is difficult to identify and shut down all of these small operations, especially considering their role in alleviating thousands of people from poverty.

This is why Zimbabwe, just like many other countries in the world, has enacted regulations to decrease the impact of the mining activities. With these regulations in place, it is believed that there will be less soil erosion and pollution, as well as less loss of biodiversity.

All these efforts are for the benefit of both the present generations as well as those to come.