CHIMANIMANI- A local hazardous materials team and environmental officials
joined forces in an urgent call to clean up a chemical spill last month, when
creosote from a road traffic accident leaked into the Murare River in
Chimanimani District.
The creosote, which is used as a wood preservative, spilled into the river when a
30 000 litre tanker overturned at Murare bridge.
Environmental Management Agency, Hazardous Substances Expert, Irvine
Nyaguwa said they had worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to contain the
spillage and minimise environmental effect on the local biodiversity stating that
out of the three stage process, they had now engaged the last and final one on
monitoring and evaluation.
“We’ve been working cooperatively with the local mining company and civil
protection unit to minimise harm to the locals and the environment surrounding
them. Our initial stage was the emergency response soon after the accident
which saw us temporarily creating a dam wall along the river channel followed
by a two-week long extraction process. Now that we have extracted the foreign
spill from the point of contamination we need to take over time monitoring
changes and possible areas that may need further extraction from the river bed,”
said Nyaguwa.
He stated that river decontamination was a delicate process that required several
months and in some instances years to be cleared and certified as back to natural
status.
The process began when emergency services were called in to attend to a road
traffic accident which saw the immediate damming of the river to reduce water
flow and downstream contamination.
In the second stage of the mammoth task, a ladder truck and a special hazardous
material command unit, were also immediately alerted to aid in the pumping out
of the creosote into polythene lined water pools next to the river.
This process was soon followed by the scooping out of sand from the river bed
to be treated of the tar contaminants that were present in the soil particles.
The third and final stage according to Nyaguwa involved strict monitoring and
evaluation of the river system with regular sample testing to track progress on
the river rejuvenation.
“Environment officers will be evaluating the effectiveness of the retaining wall
and other clean up procedures over the coming months. It will be difficult to tell
how long this would take but as soon as the river returns to its natural state we
will notify the public,” he added.
“Coal tar creosote is a common wood preservative and has an oily texture. It
can cause skin and eye irritation if touched, and burning in the throat and
stomach if ingested. The opportunity for exposure is limited, but it’s still a
serious thing,” said Nyaguwa as he further urged the public to desist from using
the river water for domestic use including domestic animals.
While it is unlikely that many people were affected downstream, livestock in
Jinga village Ward 3 was greatly affected by the spill.
Veterinary Services Department district head in Chimanimani, Dennis Mutetwa
said they had received reports of 148 goats succumbing to the terminate poison
in the village after drinking the affected water.
Out of the 178 reported cases, the department managed to attend to five goats,
two of which have been taken for post mortem and they still await the results.
The department still has nine goats under care and yet to recover.
The village also lost a total of six calves, 10 dogs and one turkey to the
terminate spillage.
A widow and mother of six was left counting her losses after losing an entire
herd of goats on which she heavily relied on for income.
“I am a widow with six children under my care. The district is very dry we rely
on livestock more than agricultural produce for sustenance in this region. The
goats are our form of wealth as we exchange such livestock with grain and other
food stuffs. Now that I have lost an entire herd as we approach the cropping
season I really do not know how best I am going to survive and pay off my fees
for the coming term,” said 53 -year-old widow Jenny Muchananyani.
Another mother of six, Enesi Zinduwi (59), lost 10 goats out of a herd of 30, in
which she is unsure of the well-being of the other 10 goats leaving her with only
10 goats fit for trade.
She however appealed to Government and surrounding communities to come to
the rescue of the village as most of the people are widows relying heavily on
their livestock for livelihoods.
“We have been left stranded following the river poisoning as this has affected
our gardening as well as our livestock production. The region is semi-arid and
the goats are our lifeline.
“Goats play a vital role in our livelihoods by contributing to food security and
alleviating seasonal food variability and availability through milk and meat
production and indirectly through cash earned from the sale of their products.
This truck accident is more or less a provincial disaster and we appeal to
Government and well-wishers to come on board with food aid till we manage to
resuscitate our herds and have access to clean safe water,” said Zinduwi.
With over 2 000 households in Chimanimani, goat breeding is a booming
business as a result of the devastating droughts hitting the district.
Sabina Homann-Kee Tui, a social scientist with the International Crops
Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics said goats offer many advantages for
drought prone regions.
“Goats do not require much upfront investment in housing or equipment and
they are hardy, much more likely to survive a long dry period than grains.
Moreover, goats are not fussy about what they eat,” she said.
Goats are more tolerant to drought than cattle and are increasingly being used to
boost incomes and enhance food security.
As EMA proceeds with the third and final stage of monitoring and evaluating
the return of Murare River to its former glory, there is uncertainty on what shall
become of the livestock and livelihood of those directly affected and villages
downstream.
Half the war has been won with the river bed and surface water cleaned out,
what still remains is the future and livelihoods of the locals surrounding Murare
river who heavily depend on it as their main source of water.
