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Lithium is a strategic and critical mineral as the world transitions to clean energy. It is in demand to make batteries for phones, electric cars and solar storage, among other uses. Muchazaka is from Murape village, under Chief Marozva, and has survived on fishing over the years, raising fees for his four children and buying food for his family. “I would sell fish in the nearby Nyika growth point every weekend but that is history now,” he said.Bikita Minerals is one of the biggest lithium mines in Africa, and holds the world’s largest known lithium deposit.
Lifeblood: 50 members of the Matezva irrigation scheme rely on the dam for everything, from food to income. Photo: Tatenda ChitaguApart from the vanishing fish and the disturbed aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity in the dam, members of the nearby Matezva irrigation scheme allege their crops started rotting after the spillage.
Matezva irrigation scheme has 50 members and each plants one hectare. They sell their produce, which they plant all year round, at Nyika growth point and in the surrounding communities. Large volumes: Irrigation scheme members allege that Bikita Minerals is 'pumping out the water like never before'. These are just one set of Sinomine's pumps. Photo: Tatenda ChitaguThe Matezva irrigation members also complained that Bikita Minerals is drawing large volumes of water at an unsustainable rate and that they fear they will not have enough water for their crops to last them throughout the year.
“The mine is pumping out the water like never before and it is slowly getting depleted. You can check with the marks at the dam wall. This is a crisis in the making. We need the water for our gardens and domestic uses. Last year, we had to get further into the dam from the shores to access the water,” said Zimhindi.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority , custodian of all water bodies in the country that also governs its use, sprang to the defence of Sinomine. “Monthly abstraction records by the mine constitute confidential client information which Zinwa cannot share with third parties. The same applies to the concerned client’s monthly allocation or the volumes covered in their water abstraction agreement with Zinwa,” Munyonga said.