Zimbabwe introduces tough new rules to save rivers and dams

Zimbabwe's government plans to introduce new legal measures aimed at curbing environmental degradation and illegal mining along rivers and water bodies as authorities move to protect water supplies and safeguard agricultural production.

The measures include three new statutory instruments targeting illegal alluvial mining and environmental damage, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka said during a coordination meeting with Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution.

"There is an interministerial Statutory Instrument 188 of November 2024 banning alluvial mining. We will now have three SIs to complement that. SI 188 is still in force. No alluvial mining is allowed," Masuka said.

Zimbabwe has faced growing environmental pressure from illegal gold mining activities, which authorities say have damaged rivers, dams and water infrastructure critical for irrigation and domestic use.

Masuka said security agencies would be deployed to enforce the ban through round-the-clock monitoring of affected areas.

"The security sector will be directed to conduct a 24-hour surveillance system so that there is no alluvial mining," he said.

He added that President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to declare heavily degraded rivers a state of disaster within days, paving the way for emergency rehabilitation measures.

Government will also implement a "polluter pays" framework requiring those responsible for environmental damage to finance rehabilitation works.

"We are invoking the polluter pays statutory instrument, which means that because rivers were degraded, they must be rehabilitated by those who caused damage," Masuka said.

Authorities have set a three-month target to rehabilitate affected rivers and dams, including Mazowe Dam.

Meanwhile, Lands and Rural Development Minister Vangelis Haritatos said government would prioritise completing the land reform process and integrating land administration systems.

"We need to do a stock take of the land reform so that we can declare land reform is done," Haritatos said.

The announcements come as Zimbabwean farmers harvest summer crops and prepare for winter wheat planting. Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Christopher Magomo said maize yields in some areas were reaching six tonnes per hectare, while soya bean yields were averaging four tonnes.