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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has called on mining companies to come up with water tight environmental management plans which should include creation of a mining fund so as to prevent legacy disasters.

Besides the underground fires, a number of people, including minors have died after being buried by rubble while scavenging for coke in disused coal dumps in Hwange.

Reacting to incidents of underground fires with the recent being the case of an eight year old girl who was left hospitalized after falling waist deep into an underground fire hole recently, EMA Matabeleland North provincial manager Mrs Chipo Mpofu-Zuze these incidents are a result of legacy challenges as a result of lack of proper environment management plans.

The area is administered by Hwange Colliery Company which has mines dotted around the coal mining town, some around and closer to human settlements.

“The Agency would like to express its sympathy to the child who fell into the coal ambers and we wish her a speedy recovery. As a regulatory authority, we are responsible for the administration of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on development projects such as mining.

“The major purpose of an EIA is to make sure that all damaged or mined areas are properly rehabilitated during and at the end of the project cycle. The recommendation is for the rehabilitation that leaves the place at a state that does not cause any harm to the present and future generations,” said Mrs Mpofu-Zuze.

She challenged mining companies to look outside the traditional ways of protecting their environments and communities through embracing the principle of stakeholder participation in their operations.

“Looking at the case we are faced with, our past legacy did not adequately rehabilitate and protect the old works in order to fully protect its future generations. This is a point which though sad, we pray would speak and convince today’s developers to see the value of developing air tight Environmental Management Plans (EMP) and religiously implementing these plans.

“Developers and miners should also see the need to pay into a mining fund during the time a mine is operational because it is these funds that could be then harnessed to fortify the rehabilitation and protection measures of a decommissioned mine,” she said.

Mrs Mpofu-Zuze implored Hwange Colliery Company to to work together with the communities in identifying lasting solutions to the problems which should include keeping the dangerous area off access.

Colliery management recently convened a meeting with residents where it was agreed among other things, that the dangerous areas will be barricaded.

@ncubeleon