Deforestation accelerates climate change
THE mushrooming of mining entities in Hwange has not only brought fortunes, but also a basket of negative environmental impacts.
An open space with heaps of coal rubble is increasingly becoming a common sight in the Hwange coal mining town.
The once thick Hwange forest, which was home to wildlife, is slowly fading away.
The few trees left in the concession area have been covered with coal dust raised by front-end loaders when they ferry the mineral to the Hwange Thermal Power Station, and other thermal stations out of the town.
Hwange district boasts an estimated seven coal miners, which include Hwange Colliery Company Limited, Zambesi Gas, Makomo Resources, NicNel, South Mining (Pvt) Ltd and Dinson Colliery.
Hwange is losing a countless number of trees to opencast and underground mining operations. Charcoal production and veld fires have also contributed to deforestation.
Green Shango Trust, an environmentalist lobby group, says deforestation has contributed to climate change with negative effects for a coal mining town such as Hwange.
Of late, Hwange is experiencing ever-changing weather patterns, including extraordinary high temperatures and heavy downpours linked to climate change.
“The trees are very important for the planet. All green plants take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen during photosynthesis,” the Trust says.
“A fully grown-up tree can convert 23kg of carbon dioxide to oxygen. That’s why we emphasize tree planting. When forests are cut down, much of that stored carbon is released into the atmosphere again as carbon dioxide. This is how deforestation and forest degradation contribute to global warming leading to climate change.
Daniel Sithole, director for Green Shango Trust, says Hwange is experiencing deforestation from mining activities, agricultural forests and land use (AFOLU), illegal charcoal production and veld fires.
Sithole says there is need for reforestation and rehabilitation of land where there are mining activities. This also includes reforestation at all abandoned mine dumps, the introduction of fruit forests for carbon sink as well as alternatives for livelihoods.
Mining companies should plough back to the communities through inception of sustainable projects, use of renewable energy for example solar, biogas and coal briquettes which are more environmentally friendly.
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) urges mining entities to undergo environmental impact assessment (EIA) process before any mining activities to prevent environmental damage. The EIA is an assessment of the possible impacts that a proposed project may have on the environment. It identifies alternatives and mitigation measures to reduce the environmental impact of a proposed project.
Miners are also encouraged to rehabilitate their land, environmental restoration programmes should be prioritised, for example, reclamation of disused pits and shafts.