Cyanide and mercury disaster looms in Shurugwi

By Patrick Chitumba | The Chronicle – Zimbabwe

A health hazard is looming in Shurugwi district where both humans and livestock are under threat as a result of illegal disposal of cyanide and mercury used by artisanal miners.

The district is witnessing an upsurge in cancer and tuberculosis cases attributed to cyanide and mercury which are also killing livestock.

Villagers have said they lost more than 100 cattle that have either been trapped in the muddy waters or fallen into open pits left by the artisanal miners.

The artisanal miners leave behind big yawning craters filled with stagnant mercury polluted waters, mounds of sand and fallen trees.

The district is now synonymous with dust-coated shrubs, residual mining pits, defaced roads and silted rivers and dams…Full Story