CHINESE mining operations in Guruve have been put under constant monitoring by the Environmental Management Agency, to ensure they abide by the country’s laws to avoid environmental degradation.
BY TAWANDA MARWIZI
This comes after several complaints from across the country that Chinese companies were disregarding local environmental laws, causing serious land degradation, as well as ill-treating their employees.
Speaking after touring Chinese mines in Mashonaland Central recently, EMA’s provincial manager, Robert Rwafa said the agency was closely monitoring the mines so that they do not destroy the environment.
“We are working closely on these mines so that the guys there do not damage the environment, especially when they are leaving the place,” he said.
Kehri Investment, one of the Chinese companies mining chrome in Guruve, has been accused of leaving huge pits in the area and thereafter relocating to Zvishavane.
Kehri officials could not be reached for comment last week. But Rwafa said: “They said they are going to come back. We have to inspect these open pits which are not healthy for animals and people. that is why we are pushing them to fill up their pits.”
He said the agency had been receiving reports from villagers that their livestock were falling into the huge open pits.
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The Tengenenge community in Guruve recently told Standardcommunity that Chinese firms were contaminating local water sources, making it unfit for domestic use and watering their livestock.
“That is the other reason why we are having conflicts with them,” said one villager, Ngoni Mundongi. “We have instructed them to drill boreholes for us but they have not done so.”
