By Idah Mhetu

HARARE Mayor Herbert Gomba on Monday said the local authority has for some time been battling to contain some gold mining activities at Kentyre Estate which is located at a mountain that supports the walls of Lake Chivero which is the city’s main water source.

Gomba was speaking during NewZimbabwe.com’s current affairs programme, The Agenda where he said efforts by the local authority to have the miners removed have been fruitless.

Gomba however said he recently engaged the Minister of State for provincial affairs, Oliver Chidawu to deploy police officers to have the miners removed.

“We have had people going to the Kentyre Estate from the mountain that is a supporting wall to Lake Chivero.

“People have started mining gold and they are disposing heavy chemicals such as mercury into Lake Chivero.

“We just have to stop them so we had discussions with Minister of State for provincial affairs, Oliver Chidawu for assistance, so that the central government can deploy officers to remove the people,” added Gomba.

The MDC official further said urban farmers and companies have also been polluting the water source through dumping untreated effluent and disposing off chemicals into the lake.

“There are also urban farmers and companies as well the manufacturing sector is disposing off chemicals in our water system,” he said.

“Working together with EMA, we have been able to identify some. We have punished some of the companies and some are doing it nicodemously, but it’s a process.

“We will be able to get to a point where we are able to outline who is doing it,” he added