Mozambique | Mining in Manica: Between survival and environmental threat

Ten months after the suspension of mining, the Chicamba Reservoir is beginning to recover. However, the discovery of new gold veins once again places the province before an old dilemma: economic survival or environmental preservation. Caught between the hope of thousands of miners and the authorities’ warnings regarding environmental and safety risks, Manica seeks a solution for an activity that resists all bans.

The water of the Chicamba Reservoir has begun to breathe again. After months marked by turbidity caused by intense mining activity in its vicinity, the primary water abstraction source for several districts—such as Chimoio, Manica, and Gondola in Manica province—is slowly starting to recover. For nearly eight months, Alcides Silva had to abandon fishing.

The condition of the water made it impossible to continue the activity that, for years, guaranteed his family’s livelihood. Today, with visible signs of improvement, he returns to the lake with renewed hope. “The water is already different.

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Before, we couldn’t work because it was so dirty. Now we are slowly coming back,” says the fisherman. The recovery of water quality has also brought new signs of economic life.

Along the shores of the reservoir, tourism operations that had scaled down or closed activities are beginning to reopen their doors. At Chicamba Lodge, environmental improvement represents an opportunity to recover a sector that depends directly on the image of a destination associated with nature. “With the water improving, customers are starting to seek out the space again because the water is now clean,” explains Manuel Quembo, manager of the establishment.

Meanwhile, as the water tries to recover, the land is once again disputed for gold. About 300 meters from the Chicamba Reservoir, a new artisanal mining front grows daily. The scenario repeats itself: men, women, and youth excavate the earth, wash sediments, and search for small gold particles capable of changing the course of their lives.

Arriving from different parts of the country, they are drawn by news of new gold discoveries in Manica. For many, the mine represents the last alternative in the face of unemployment. Bernardo Macanapue left Zambézia province three months ago.

He arrived at the Chicamba mine loaded with expectations, but so far has not found the gold he was looking for. “I came hoping to improve my life, but I haven’t had luck yet. I keep going because I believe one day I might find it,” he relates.

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