Assessing the Impact of Illegal Mining on the Environment : A Case of Ward 59 of Mt Darwin South District

In Zimbabwe, illegal mining is now rampant in Mt Darwin (Mushanawani, 2019). Mount Darwin is in Mashonaland Central Province in Zimbabwe. It is located approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi), by road, northeast of Harare, the capital and largest city in that country. According to Mushanawani (2019) rivers such as Metangua and Gwetera are under threat from the illegal gold mining activities of over 500 artisanal miners.The Zimbabwe mines and mineral act, the Minerals corporation of Zimbabwe Act (Chapter 21:04) requires all licenced operators to secure environmental impact assessment which specify environmental safety for any mining project in Zimbabwe. Despite having this legal item which protect the environment, there tend to be a rise in the number of illegal miners in Mt Darwin who are causing land degradation. Illegal mining is resulting in river saltation, water pollution and land degradation and this is affecting the society and various communities in Mt Darwin when carrying out their farming activities and in some cases their livestock are dying after drinking polluted water. The problem has also brought about high cost in river and dam rehabilitations and water shortages. In Mt Darwin illegal mining activities are causing environmental challenges such as water pollution, deforestation, poor soil fertility and limited access to land for agriculture productivity. The literature on illegal mining has proved that there is an important lack of research on the impact of illegal mining on the environment in Mt Darwin South District and it is believed that academic work on solutions to environmental challenges which emanate due to illegal mining is limited. This study therefore seeks to to bring an asssessment of the impact of illegal mining on the environment: A case of ward 59 of Mt Darwin South District