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Rehabilitation work done by alluvial gold miners in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central, whose operations were recently suspended by Government, is unsatisfactory, the Environmental Management Agency has said.
Government stopped the operations of nine alluvial gold mining companies in Mazowe last month because they were causing environmental degradation. EMA official Mr Astas Mabwe told The Herald recently that the rehabilitation work carried out by the companies was unsatisfactory.
“The companies are gone and the sites were rehabilitated, but they did not meet the required standards by EMA,” he said. “The river was badly damaged as the miners were using heavy earth movers and it will take time to recover.”
The miners were dumping ore into the river denying water to people downstream. As the rains are approaching, they will re-deposit the sand and silt the river,” said Mr Mabwe.
He said the process of rehabilitation could not be seriously monitored owing to limited resources to patrol affected areas.
District environmental officer Mr Tendai Mutami said although the companies were fined US$5 000 each and ordered to rehabilitate the damaged places, it would take time for the river to recover. “Although rivers have a tendency to hold back the sand, if disturbed it will take about five years to naturally recover,” he said.
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