Online Reporter
Patience Ndlovu, Zimpapers Writer
BULAWAYO Mayor, Councillor David Coltart has urged the Government to take swift and decisive action against illegal mining activities near the city’s major supply dams, warning that the practice is worsening Bulawayo’s prolonged water crisis.
Despite receiving more than 700 millimetres of rainfall during the last rainy season, which is well above the average, the city’s supply dams are still critically low. Experts and city authorities blame this on uncontrolled riverbed mining that has disrupted natural water flow into reservoirs.
In an interview, Clr Coltart said illegal gold panning and riverbed mining upstream of the city’s dams were causing massive siltation, erosion and the diversion of rivers, resulting in poor dam inflows.
“We recognise that our dams have not received the inflows they require over the past few years. This was graphically demonstrated during the last rainy season, when we received over 700mm of rain, yet our dams remained low,” said Clr Coltart.
“We believe this is largely due to illegal gold panning along our river systems. We, therefore, implore the Government to enforce the law banning all river and riverbank mining as a matter of urgency.”
Bulawayo is facing one of its worst water supply challenges in years, with some suburbs going up to three weeks without water. The crisis has prompted widespread public concern, with fears of disease outbreaks mounting in high-density areas. Residents now rely on water bowsers and community boreholes.
Clr Coltart said that while climatic changes have played a role in water scarcity, human-induced degradation of water catchment areas is equally to blame. He urged the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and police to collaborate in rooting out illegal miners operating near strategic water sources such as Umzingwane, Upper Ncema, Lower Ncema, Insiza, Inyankuni and Mtshabezi dams.
Clr Coltart also highlighted the state of the city’s ageing water infrastructure, saying about 48 percent of treated water is lost due to leaks, bursts and vandalism.
At present, the city cannot account for up to 48 percent of the water that has been treated and pumped into our distribution system. That is due to theft, ageing pipes and constant bursts. We need to invest heavily in upgrading our infrastructure to reduce water losses and ensure efficiency,” he said.
In 2023, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka, appointed a water technical committee to help the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) develop sustainable strategies to manage the city’s water supply.
The committee was tasked with exploring long-term solutions, including water recycling, rehabilitation of the Nyamandlovu aquifer and accelerating the Lake Gwayi-Shangani project, a key component of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, which aims to permanently resolve Bulawayo’s water woes.
However, illegal mining has emerged as a major threat to these efforts, not only compromising dam capacity through siltation but also polluting water sources with mercury and other hazardous substances used during gold extraction.
Illegal mining, particularly artisanal gold panning, has surged across the country in recent years, leading to environmental destruction and land degradation.
Environmentalists have warned that continued inaction will result in irreversible damage to the country’s already fragile ecosystems and water security.
