A SERIES of environmental disasters in Zimbabwe have raised concern about the industry’s regulation and government’s ability to protect the environment.
The disasters, including the death of 19 hippopotamuses in the Sapi Safari Area and Chirundu, along the Zambezi Valley, are believed to be a result of improper disposal of toxic chemicals, including cyanide and mercury, used in mining processes.
According to experts, the rainy season has exacerbated the problem, as the chemicals are washed into water bodies through surface runoff, posing a significant threat to both wildlife and human health.
Centre for Natural Resource Governance director Farai Maguwu yesterday said it was not a coincidence that the disasters happened during the rainy season.
“The simple explanation is that as the rains are pounding the country, cyanide and mercury are being washed through surface runoff into the water bodies. That is why you see these animals dying,” Maguwu said.
He said various mining firms were operating without adhering to laws.
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“From our own perspective, Zimbabwe has become a huge mining country and most of the Chinese operating in Zimbabwe, don’t operate (within the confines of) any laws. They operate above the law.
“They do that because they work in cahoots with the country’s political elites and so they disregard environmental laws and they even heap leach. It is poorly done when they set up those heap leaching plants,” he said.
Maguwu called for an independent multi-stakeholder team to investigate the death of the hippos and make recommendations.
“We need an independent multi-stakeholder team to investigate and make recommendations. This is the only way we can ensure that those responsible are held accountable and that measures are put in place to prevent such disasters from happening again,” he said
But the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has, however, said preliminary investigations showed that the hippo population was in very poor body condition with pelvic bones and the spine showing signs of malnutrition.
“Following investigations to ascertain the cause of death of 19 hippos in the Mid-Zambezi Region, preliminary investigations have shown that there were no gross abnormalities and no trace of Anthrax in any of the tested samples,” ZimParks said.
The ZimParks findings indicated that the majority of mortality cases were directly linked to severe nutritional deficits rather than infectious diseases.
“Our investigations have shown that the hippos were moving up to 10km from their habitat in search of food. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and prioritise the health and welfare of local wildlife,” the parks authority added.
The hippos’ death came after ZimParks announced the death of rhinos and other wildlife at Lake Chivero in Harare due to pollution in the water body.