zimbabwe: Small-scale miners want dialogue with EMA

Concerns have been raised that illegal mining activities, particularly in the alluvial gold mining sector, are destroying the environment through pollution. The miners use dangerous chemicals like cyanide in the processing of the gold, which are then dumped into rivers and other water bodies.
Norman Mukwakwami, a mining engineer, said in a report recently that this form of mineral extraction causes serious environmental damage through water contamination with heavy metals like mercury and cyanide. Other effects are deforestation, soil erosion and siltation.
“However, the criminalisation of artisanal mining has failed to stop the activities of an estimated 500,000 artisanal miners extracting gold, diamonds, tantalite and chrome,” he said.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/zimbabwe/69560/small-scale-miners-want-dialogue.html