Online Reporter
Fungai Lupande
Mashonaland Central Bureau
AT least 11 people have been arrested in Mashonaland Central Province for illegal sand abstraction and transportation as authorities intensify a crackdown on environmental crimes that are accelerating land degradation.
Officials from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), working together with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, apprehended the suspects during a recent operational blitz conducted in Chiweshe’s Muguse Village near Mwenje Dam and Matare Village in Manhenga, Bindura.
The suspects were issued with tickets for illegal sand abstraction and transportation from unregistered sites, EMA provincial environmental education and publicity officer Mr Maxwell Mupotsa said.
Mr Mupotsa said authorities had noted a growing trend of people extracting and transporting sand without the prerequisite licences and documentation required under environmental regulations.
“Sand abstraction should be done at registered sites designated by the local authority and must comply with an approved Environmental Management Plan from EMA,” he said.
The crackdown comes amid rising demand for sand driven by rapid urbanisation and increased construction activities, which have triggered widespread illegal extraction in communal areas.
Mr Mupotsa warned that uncontrolled sand mining was causing serious environmental damage and threatening critical infrastructure and sensitive ecosystems.
“Illegal sand abstraction accelerates land degradation and affects ecologically sensitive areas that also uphold our cultural heritage,” he said.
“In communal areas, roads, wetlands and even graveyards are increasingly coming under threat due to the growing demand for sand.”
Mr Mupotsa said sand extraction is one of the major drivers of land degradation in urban, peri-urban and rural service centres across Zimbabwe, as many operators mine from undesignated points and abandon the pits without rehabilitation.
Apart from soil erosion, illegal sand mining can cause water pollution, destruction of agricultural land, air pollution from dust and damage to roads and other infrastructure.
Under Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007 for Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecosystem Protection, no person is allowed to excavate, remove or transport sand for commercial purposes without a licence issued by EMA.
Those wishing to extract sand must first obtain a designated site from the local authority and submit an Environmental Management Plan before a licence is issued.
Mr Mupotsa urged local authorities to register sand abstraction sites at the beginning of the year and ensure progressive rehabilitation of mined areas to minimise environmental damage.
He warned that offenders risk hefty fines or imprisonment if found guilty of violating environmental laws.
“Routine inspections will continue to ensure compliance and protect the environment from further degradation,” he said.
