Tanzania: Small-Scale Mining - Tales From the Field

By Geofrey Kimani

Tanzanian miners

ieIt's an hour's drive from Katoro Town to Kihesa mining camp at Lwamgasa Village in Geita District.

Upon reaching the site, you are met with an environment that has almost been torn part. Hundreds of people are busy, a number of them in torn and dirty clothes.

A huge section of land has been cleared away. The mostly notable features are heaps of soil and open mouths of ditches.

The multitude here is seeking for only one thing--gold. Men and women of various ages are busy, some going into the ditches, others crushing stones that have already been collected and others moving here and there.

There are at least 2,000 artisanal miners who have invaded this area, according to village chairman Lumumba Salvatory.

He says the environment at Kihesa Camp is under a lot of stress due to the sudden surge of people starting from early July. Soil erosion, creation of sink holes, and loss of vegetation cover as miners need firewood for cooking and logs for getting into the mines.

Water sources are also in danger as both groundwater and surface water are threatned with contamination due to chemicals that miners use in separating gold from other impurities.

According to Mr Lumumba, River Kihesa, that over 20,000 people from the village depend on for their water needs has been contaminated, thus putting at risk lives of the villagers.

"For decades, this river has been the main source of water for villagers here. But, with the current development, people have turned to other sources, which are not safe," he says. In a very short time, tree felling has more than tippled