News / Regional
High levels toxins in Umguza River - Report
11 May 2012 at 00:28hrs | Views
VILLAGERS in Umguza District could be slowly getting poisoned by pollution at Umguza River amid reports that some vegetables irrigated by water from the river cannot be exported due to high toxin levels.
The river, in Matabeleland North, is heavily polluted by raw sewage discharged by the Bulawayo City Council as well as dangerous chemicals like lead, mercury, cyanide and chromium 6 from industrial activities in the city.
Villagers along the river use it as source of water for their livestock while others fetch drinking water direct from the river during years of drought.
A medical expert yesterday said long-term effects of the poisoning on the villagers included children born with deformities or children that are extremely dull.
Villagers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday seemed unaware of the dangers of using water from the river.
A number of them could not remember a time when the river was not contaminated while a few older ones recalled how they used to carry out agricultural activities, get fish and draw drinking water from the then clean river.
Mr Joseph Ndlovu (52), the village head at Village 5 in Spring Grange Farm, said two children in the village developed a strange disease that led to them getting crippled and later dying and some villagers suspected it was caused by the pollution.
"They were about three years old when their legs started swelling and the muscles in the legs constricted and bunched up.
"Doctors could not tell us what they were suffering from. They were crippled until the time they died when they were about 16 years old in 2009. Someone suggested that the dirty river water could be the cause but no one believed that," said Mr Ndlovu.
He said drought often forced villagers to dig along the riverbed to get water to drink.
"I do not think the people have been affected although our cattle often suffer from hard water disease, which we treat using chemicals," he said.
Gogo Liba Dube (87), who was born in the area, said water from Umguza River used to be very clean.
"We used to drink straight from the river. The river also had plenty of fish and people used to irrigate crops using water from the river. All this stopped in the 1970s when pollution levels increased," said Gogo MaDube.
Asked if she still drank the river water, she said she would rather die from thirst.
"Ah ngingazake ngiqale ngoba amanzi lawa aluhlaza, ayanuka phu, alobulembu, alamagwebu lamaphepha avela khonale edolobheni!" she said.
Some communities along the river have resorted to drilling boreholes, which experts have said could also be contaminated.
Mrs Loveness Dlamini (32) from Village 1A in Nyamandlovu said the river had always been polluted. "I have always known it with dirty water. I am one of the people who sometimes drink from the river. Although the water is smelly, I do not think it affects my health," said Mrs Dlamini.
However, a medical doctor in Bulawayo said the villagers were exposed to health risks as a result of the contaminated water.
"First of all they risk getting water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, various forms of cancer and salmonella by drinking this water polluted by raw sewage in it," said the doctor, who declined to be named.
The doctor also said the lead and mercury found in the water could be fatal in high doses.
"However, since no deaths have been reported, it means the concentration levels of the chemicals are low. Nevertheless, through eating meat from animals that drink this water or using the water to cook, villagers face the risk of long term poisoning from the chemicals. Some of the effects of this cumulative poisoning that can manifest even after 20 years or in other generations is giving birth to congenitally malformed children or having extremely dull children," said the doctor.
The Gwayi Catchment manager for Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), Mr Fortune Musona, under whose area of jurisdiction the river falls, said toxins from Matabeleland often ended up in Umguza River.
"Rivers from Matabeleland South and water from Bulawayo all flow towards Matabeleland North, through the Umguza River.
"All forms of pollution in the provinces end up in Umguza. The Upper Umguza River, which is heavily polluted, discharges into the Lower Umguza River, where farmers in Nyamandlovu get irrigation water," said Mr Musona.
He said a recent study had shown that the toxins in the river affected the quality of crops grown in the area.
"We found that cabbages and lettuce grown under irrigation may not meet international standards for exports as they have elevated levels of toxins," he said.
Mr Musona said a collective approach from stakeholders including the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Government, the Bulawayo City Council and companies that pollute the river was needed to solve the problem.
"Simple fines from EMA do not seem to be working. Maybe people need to be taken through a tour of the river to see the damage they are causing. We need to all meet and come up with a strategy to stop the poisoning of the river. We also cannot rule out the contamination of underground water," said Mr Musona.
He said it was becoming increasingly expensive to treat drinking water that is supplied to places like Tsholotsho from the Gwayi River of which Umguza is a tributary.
EMA national spokesperson Mr Steady Kangata said it was important for people and companies upstream to behave responsibly because all their environmentally unfriendly practises adversely affected people and livestock downstream.
"We do not take pleasure in fining people. What is happening can be called the effluent of the affluent whereby toxins from people who are better off upstream are affecting poor people whose livelihood depend on the water downstream," said Mr Kangata.
He said the water in Umguza River could be rehabilitated if stakeholders joined hands to stop the dumping of untreated waste in the river.
"Rivers have a natural way of cleaning themselves, if we stop dumping toxins in Umguza River, with time, the water can become clean again. Everyone should spare a thought about the effects of their actions on the environment to preserve it for future generations," said Mr Kangata.
The provincial veterinary officer for Matabeleland North, Dr Polex Moyo, could not be contacted for comment.
The river, in Matabeleland North, is heavily polluted by raw sewage discharged by the Bulawayo City Council as well as dangerous chemicals like lead, mercury, cyanide and chromium 6 from industrial activities in the city.
Villagers along the river use it as source of water for their livestock while others fetch drinking water direct from the river during years of drought.
A medical expert yesterday said long-term effects of the poisoning on the villagers included children born with deformities or children that are extremely dull.
Villagers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday seemed unaware of the dangers of using water from the river.
A number of them could not remember a time when the river was not contaminated while a few older ones recalled how they used to carry out agricultural activities, get fish and draw drinking water from the then clean river.
Mr Joseph Ndlovu (52), the village head at Village 5 in Spring Grange Farm, said two children in the village developed a strange disease that led to them getting crippled and later dying and some villagers suspected it was caused by the pollution.
"They were about three years old when their legs started swelling and the muscles in the legs constricted and bunched up.
"Doctors could not tell us what they were suffering from. They were crippled until the time they died when they were about 16 years old in 2009. Someone suggested that the dirty river water could be the cause but no one believed that," said Mr Ndlovu.
He said drought often forced villagers to dig along the riverbed to get water to drink.
"I do not think the people have been affected although our cattle often suffer from hard water disease, which we treat using chemicals," he said.
Gogo Liba Dube (87), who was born in the area, said water from Umguza River used to be very clean.
"We used to drink straight from the river. The river also had plenty of fish and people used to irrigate crops using water from the river. All this stopped in the 1970s when pollution levels increased," said Gogo MaDube.
Asked if she still drank the river water, she said she would rather die from thirst.
"Ah ngingazake ngiqale ngoba amanzi lawa aluhlaza, ayanuka phu, alobulembu, alamagwebu lamaphepha avela khonale edolobheni!" she said.
Some communities along the river have resorted to drilling boreholes, which experts have said could also be contaminated.
Mrs Loveness Dlamini (32) from Village 1A in Nyamandlovu said the river had always been polluted. "I have always known it with dirty water. I am one of the people who sometimes drink from the river. Although the water is smelly, I do not think it affects my health," said Mrs Dlamini.
However, a medical doctor in Bulawayo said the villagers were exposed to health risks as a result of the contaminated water.
"First of all they risk getting water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, various forms of cancer and salmonella by drinking this water polluted by raw sewage in it," said the doctor, who declined to be named.
The doctor also said the lead and mercury found in the water could be fatal in high doses.
"However, since no deaths have been reported, it means the concentration levels of the chemicals are low. Nevertheless, through eating meat from animals that drink this water or using the water to cook, villagers face the risk of long term poisoning from the chemicals. Some of the effects of this cumulative poisoning that can manifest even after 20 years or in other generations is giving birth to congenitally malformed children or having extremely dull children," said the doctor.
The Gwayi Catchment manager for Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), Mr Fortune Musona, under whose area of jurisdiction the river falls, said toxins from Matabeleland often ended up in Umguza River.
"Rivers from Matabeleland South and water from Bulawayo all flow towards Matabeleland North, through the Umguza River.
"All forms of pollution in the provinces end up in Umguza. The Upper Umguza River, which is heavily polluted, discharges into the Lower Umguza River, where farmers in Nyamandlovu get irrigation water," said Mr Musona.
He said a recent study had shown that the toxins in the river affected the quality of crops grown in the area.
"We found that cabbages and lettuce grown under irrigation may not meet international standards for exports as they have elevated levels of toxins," he said.
Mr Musona said a collective approach from stakeholders including the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Government, the Bulawayo City Council and companies that pollute the river was needed to solve the problem.
"Simple fines from EMA do not seem to be working. Maybe people need to be taken through a tour of the river to see the damage they are causing. We need to all meet and come up with a strategy to stop the poisoning of the river. We also cannot rule out the contamination of underground water," said Mr Musona.
He said it was becoming increasingly expensive to treat drinking water that is supplied to places like Tsholotsho from the Gwayi River of which Umguza is a tributary.
EMA national spokesperson Mr Steady Kangata said it was important for people and companies upstream to behave responsibly because all their environmentally unfriendly practises adversely affected people and livestock downstream.
"We do not take pleasure in fining people. What is happening can be called the effluent of the affluent whereby toxins from people who are better off upstream are affecting poor people whose livelihood depend on the water downstream," said Mr Kangata.
He said the water in Umguza River could be rehabilitated if stakeholders joined hands to stop the dumping of untreated waste in the river.
"Rivers have a natural way of cleaning themselves, if we stop dumping toxins in Umguza River, with time, the water can become clean again. Everyone should spare a thought about the effects of their actions on the environment to preserve it for future generations," said Mr Kangata.
The provincial veterinary officer for Matabeleland North, Dr Polex Moyo, could not be contacted for comment.
Source - TC
