adminWhinsley Masara Chronicle Reporter
BUBI District is facing a water disaster as illegal miners are polluting the Bubi-Lupane dam with harmful chemicals that are finding their way into rivers feeding the dam.
During a media tour this week, Matabeleland North provincial environmental manager Chipo Mpofu-Zuze said the district may end up having water problems due to the pollution of the dam that was commissioned in 2013.
“Mercury and cyanide are hazardous to humans, animals, plants and other living creatures such as fish in the rivers. This Mbembesi River which is being contaminated is a feeder to Bubi River which deposits into the newly built Bubi-Lupane dam,” said Mpofu-Zuze.
“These chemicals are actually a big danger when stepped on, touched or inhaled and as time goes by their side effects will result in death. Unfortunately these people are not aware of the health hazard which will come later.”
She said the illegal miners do not have toilets and were relieving themselves near rivers.
Mpofu-Zuze said the artificial damming of water that was being done to facilitate illegal mining activities will result in high siltation, thereby reducing the amount of water going into the Bubi-Lupane dam.
“This means purification of water in the dam is going to be costly for Zinwa (Zimbabwe National Water Authority), and my query is why one should cause unnecessary expenses on something avoidable?”
Zinwa Lupane Catchment area manager Chengeto Gozo said the dam, which was commissioned two years ago, is expected to provide more than 60,000 people with consistent water supplies every day while boosting agricultural activities in the district.
He said water in the dam was untreated and so far it was only being utilised by construction companies in the area.
Gozo said construction of the purification plant started in 2011, but due to funding challenges the project is yet to be completed and pollution was likely to raise construction costs.
“I’m convinced that the treatment plant will be fully functional any time soon and the perennial water problems of the provincial capital will be over,” he said.
“The Bubi-Lupane dam is meant to ease water woes in the growing town but with what is happening in the conferencing rivers, our hopes maybe shattered.”
Online Reporter