He called on the government to provide a vital support to the village authorities (in terms of modern security weapons, patrol gear and security systems), for halting illegal mining activities in the forest reserve. The government should also assist the villages in finding alternative sources of income, so as to transform their lives.
“It has taken a long time since the government promised to give the villagers funds so as to establish other income-generating projects like bee-keeping, livestock keeping, modern agriculture and poultry production. It is sad to learn that it has not respected this promise,” he said.
Forest Condition, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Justine Gwegime from Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) points out that mining activity at the reserve would have a bad impact on the ecological system in which mercury is often used to separate gold from sediments and rocks.
He said the effects of poisoning can be widespread, especially when the waste flows into Zigi River
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