Chronicle Editor
Nokuthaba Brita Ncube – [email protected]
ZIMBABWE Mining Safety Health and Environmental Council(ZIMSHEC) executive director Mr Makumba Nyenje has urged small-scale miners to install effective storm drains to avoid fatalities during the rainy season.
Zimbabwe is experiencing heavy rains accompanied by strong winds that have left a trail of destruction, especially in infrastructure.
In an interview, Mr Nyenje noted that it is pivotal to encourage artisanal and small-scale miners to put all the necessary measures in place as mines tend to collapse during the rainy season.
“Most importantly we encourage miners to put storm drains which are very effective such that we do not have any water or runoff accumulating into our shafts, “he said.
“For those who are doing cyanidation, we also encourage them to put competent storm drains as well as make sure that we study weather, risks, and any hazards which may happen due possibly to contamination of water bodies by having water from our tanks spilling over to the ground,” he added.
Mr Nyenje further noted that small-scale miners should take heed and be prepared by having their dewatering equipment in place.
“Those who are doing extraction, we urge them to ensure that they dewater their mining shafts, should there be any water accumulating in those shafts,” he said.
He highlighted that it is also high time that miners must be seen propping up shafts by changing timbers.
“Make sure that we do proper box timbering for those who are going to use timbers which is very important at this time such that we avoid fall of ground, “said Mr Nyenje.
He said that it is of paramount importance to ensure that mines have competent personnel manning mines so that even those who are new are also given warnings and kept alert, to avoid any fatalities in the mining area.
Although the cloud system responsible for the current rains is weakening over Zimbabwe, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) is closely monitoring the Indian Ocean, where the second tropical storm of the season, named Bheki, has formed.
The rainy season is usually associated with an increase in fatalities within the mining sector with some mines collapsing due to lack of proper supporting structures.
During the rainy season, the ground will be weak and most likely to collapse.
A State of Mining Industry Survey Report for 2023 shows that the mining industry reported 110 fatal accidents during the period January to July 2023, compared to 106 fatal accidents during the same period last year.
The 110 accidents resulted in 120 fatalities and 92 percent of the accidents reported during the period under review occurred underground.
Online Reporter