A network of illegal mining tunnels going as deep as 1,5 kilometres beneath swathes of Kwekwe’s central business district and residential areas are putting residents at risk, amid fears the areas might cave in, a recent Government study has confirmed.
The study, undertaken by the Zimbabwe National Geospatial
and Space Agency (ZINGSA), used high-tech geospatial mapping techniques that
exposed an extensive network of tunnels ranging from 40 metres to around 1,5km
in depth, which threaten the structural integrity of the ground and buildings
above them.
It highlights the alarming practice of illegal miners
targeting pillars supporting the tunnels.
The report also details the hazards the tunnels pose to the
city’s infrastructure and environment due to the proliferation of sinkholes and
ground vibrations from blasting.
In March last year, a classroom block at Globe and Phoenix
Primary School collapsed into a sink-hole. Sunday Mail
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