ALVINA CHIWANIKA

Shurugwi – Unki Mine has managed to bring water pollution caused by its slime dam under control after causing panic among villagers in Gutsaruzhinji who stopped using the water for any purpose.

The pollution which affected Mutevekwi River turned the water milky and villagers stopped their goats and cattle from drinking the water while people could not water their gardens or bath from the river.

What angered residents is that the mine did not explain what was going on and villagers had to write letters to different authorities seeking their intervention.

Efforts to get a comment from Unki Mine were futile. 

EMA District officer, Serevino Kangara said that the discharge from the slime dam is now under control. He said it was caused by pressure on the slime dam from the rains.

“The mine has prepared a temporary settling point. The pressure was caused by heavy rains and now it’s no longer raining and the situation is now stable,” Kangara said.

Ward 19 councillor Brian Chiteme said while the mine had since managed to stop pollution of the river, it had agreed to sink three boreholes for villagers and their livestock to fall back on in case such an incident recurs.

William Moyo of Dzikamidzi co- operative said villagers feared for their livestock and aquatic life as a result of the pollution.https://masvingomirror.com