The impact of mining on water resources in Zimbabwe
Background
Mining activity can bring a significant impact on regional water resources in both quantity and quality aspects. In detail:
- Regional topography and geology alteration due to generation of mine pits and tailings in large-scale mining.
- The streamflow regime alteration due to water abstraction and discharge
- River and soil contamination problem caused by used chemicals and waste water discharge during mining process and afterwards long- term pollutants releasing from tailings e.g. Acid Mine Drainage.
It is important to take proper management strategy and policies to minimize mining induced negative impacts on ecosystem and human health.
The case of Deka River in Zimbabwe
Objective
Despite its economic relevance for many African countries, the mineral sector is associated with environmental externalities and related negative implications on human and ecosystem health. In Hwange, Northwestern Zimbabwe, mining, processing and combustion of coal are impacting the water quality of the local river system. In recent years, Deka River, a tributary to the Zambezi, has shown a deterioration of water quality and repetitive fish kills. Communities living along Deka River depend on the river as a source of fresh water and fish and suspect negative impacts on their livelihoods and health. Government services monitor effluent and river water quality on a monthly basis but lack to identify the origin of pollution and the cause of the loss of biological life.
In this doctoral project, Désirée explores the potential of an innovative citizen science framework to assess the ranges and seasonal variations of the critical pollutants in the Deka River, and to identify the anthropogenic or geogenic sources of the metal pollution. From a policy perspective, she further investigates how water quality data from a community-based monitoring project can impact social accountability for environmental pollution from mining.
Impressions from fieldwork in Zimbabwe
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