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Amanda Ncube, Sunday News Reporter
ILLEGAL gold panning activities are posing a serious threat to Bulawayo supply dams with the panners even digging in the dams that have dried up, something that is likely to cause enormous siltation and grossly affect the dams’ holding capacity.
The gold panning activities are rampant in Upper Ncema, Inyankuni and Umzingwane dams that reportedly have alluvial gold deposits. Bulawayo City Council senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu confirmed the gold panning activities were affecting the city’s supply dams. She said the activities in and around the dams were loosening the soil, leading to heavy siltation.
“Gold panning activities lead to the loosening of the soil and when it rains this subsequently leads to the run-off into dams and subsequently siltation. But at the moment, siltation has not reduced the operating volume of the city’s dams as our intake tower is still above the siltation levels,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu also said they have not put any measures to curb the situation. Communities near Upper Ncema Dam said the illegal gold panning activities were a danger to the water supply dam especially when looking at the chemicals that the gold panners were using.
“We have noticed that these gold panners are using different chemicals which may be a danger to so many people who are the consumers of water. Illegal gold panning activities are not only causing siltation and degradation, but pose a danger to the water supply owing to the use of dangerous chemicals by gold panners such as mercury and cyanide.”
Residents told Sunday News that the activities were also done during broad daylight as the gold panners were no longer afraid of the law enforcement agents.
“Usually the gold panners used to do their activities at night when everyone would have gone home but nowadays we see them in broad daylight carrying their tools going into the dams to dig for gold,” Mr James Nyathi, one of the residents said.
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Bongani Ndlovu