VILLAGERS in Guruve North in Mashonaland Central province are in quandary after their main source of water, Dande River, was poisoned following a recent cyanide spillage.
The worst affected areas are in wards 2, 4, 5, 6 and 18 where villagers are unsure whether the river water is safe for domestic use after the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) stopped pumping water to Guruve growth point following the cyanide spillage from the nearby Eureka Gold Mine.
Dande River is a source of drinking water for businesspeople, farmers, domestic animals and villagers along its course.
In an interview with NewsDay, headman Pearson Mazhambe under Chief Chipuriro appealed to authorities to urgently drill boreholes as promised to alleviate the water crisis.
“We live close to the Dande River and the cyanide poisoning has affected both livestock and people. Many people and domestic animals used to access water from the river.
“As it stands, we are not sure if it is safe to drink the water after cyanide spillage. We currently have no borehole under Mazhambe village,” Mazhambe said.
Local councillor Farai Mazhambe said the cyanide poisoning had affected nearly 7 000 people.
Eureka Gold Mine group corporate governance manager Elisha Dhlembeu said they were working closely with stakeholders and community leadership to resolve the water crisis.
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“Mitigation actions were also taken immediately and the discharge was treated to neutralise the cyanide before it got to the Dande River,” Dhlembeu said.
“The flow was effectively contained, and the discharge seized within two hours of the incident.”
Dhlembeu said the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) was notified and it conducted a site inspection visit on the day of the cyanide spillage.
“The mine remains in close collaboration with EMA, other government stakeholders under the Civil Protection Unit, Zinwa and Guruve community leadership, to ensure the safety of the process ponds, the surrounding environment and the Dande River.
“To date, there has been no loss of life, either, human, animal or aquatic and none is expected going forward. We are working with Zinwa and community leadership to resolve this matter,” he added.
EMA has since directed Eureka Gold Mine to put in place necessary pollution abatement measures in the interim and long term.
