Hwange villagers accuse coal miners of pollution

Hwange (New Ziana) –Coal mining companies in Hwange have been accused of polluting Deka River from which four villages in the district draw drinking water.

The villagers say the pollution is posing a danger to their health and their livestock, which are suffering still births while others are unable to conceive at all.

Deka River flows through Mwemba, Chachachunda, Mashala and Zvabo Makuyu villages with a combined population of 1 400 people.

The villagers, who claim the pollution started in the late ‘90s, are blaming Hwange Colliery Company and other small mining companies that have recently invaded the coal fields along the Deka River.

Hwange Rural District Council Ward 9 councilor Pasca Mpofu, whose area covers most of the affected villages, said pollution of the water source was affecting livestock which drink from the river.

“Our cattle and goats are highly affected as the water damages the reproductive system of the animals,” said Mpofu.

Companies being accused of the pollution through discharging effluent into the river include Hwange Colliery Company, Zimbabwe Power Company, Chilota and Sandledge Mining.

Previous studies by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) showed that acid mine drainage (AMD) from mining activities in the area was affecting aquatic life.

New Ziana