Hwange residents have petitioned the Parliament of Zimbabwe to address air pollution in the town, which is linked to coal mining activities.
The petition, presented by the Greater Hwange Residents Trust, aims to raise awareness among lawmakers about the health risks associated with coal dust pollution and to urge immediate action to protect residents from its harmful effects.
According to the trust, the Pneumonoconiosis Act (Chapter 15:08), designed to safeguard workers in dusty occupations, fails to adequately protect ordinary residents who are also affected by coal dust pollution.
Below is the full petition that was submitted to Parliament:
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DRAW the attention of the House to the following:
1. The Constitution mandates the Parliament of Zimbabwe to make laws, carry out executive oversight and discharge a representative role, as well as protect the Constitution and democratic governance in Zimbabwe.
2. Section 117(2) of the Constitution, inter alia, mandates Parliament to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of Zimbabwe.
3. Section 8 of the Constitution sets out the objectives to guide all institutions and agencies of the State in the formulation and implementation of policies that will lead to the establishment, enhancement and promotion of a sustainable, just, free and democratic society in which people enjoy prosperous, happy and fulfilling lives.
4. Greater Whange Residents Trust is a Hwange-basedTrust which advocates for the welfare and interests of people in Hwange.
5. The town of Hwange is home to over 50 000 residents. These include men, women and children that are not employed as miners. 
6. Coal mining is a key industry in that town and impacts on both the residents and the environment of Hwange town and beyond. Hwange is also surrounded by land which falls under the National Parks.
7. The Pneumonoconiosis Act (Chapter 15:08) came into operation on 1 August 1971. The Act remains in force. The long title of the Act gives as its objects the following: An Act to provide for the control and administration of persons employed in dusty occupations; and to provide for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing. (emphasis added).
8. The Act was designed to respond to health issues affecting those employed in dusty occupations. Naturally,it is ill-equipped to respond to issues of stakeholders beyond this categorisation as stated by the lawmaker.
9. Mining in Hwange consists of both open cast and underground mining operations. Coal mining creates dust and dusty conditions that affect not just those employed by the coal mines. It affects communities that live on and around the mines.
10. Section 56 of the Constitution provides that all persons are equal before the law and have a right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
11. Your petitioners submit that ordinary residents of Hwange that are not employed in the coal mines are not benefiting from the provisions of the Act as currently framed. For instance, those directly employed in coal mines are eligible for regular medical checks under the Act to determine the impact of coal dust on their health, particularly the heart and kidneys. Ordinary residents are not beneficiaries of such tests. The Act was not designed for their benefit. It was exclusionary from the start.
12. Residents that are not employees of coal mines are therefore susceptible to health risks associated with coal mining, without the protection of the law. With the increase in coal and related mining activities, the number of persons that are not subject to the protection of the law thanks to the crafting of the Act has also increased. It is desirable that the Act be reviewed to embrace the protection of all persons that stay or live in environments that are subjected to coal mining dust. It may also be worthwhile for Parliament to consider how the Act could enjoin coal miners to contribute towards the reduction of coal dust, to enhance the health of residents.
13. Your petitioners are aware that section 73 of the Constitution guarantees their right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being, and to have their environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations. In this regard, the State must ensure the progressive realisation of this right by residents of Hwange.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray as follows:
That the Parliament of Zimbabwe to exercises its constitutional mandate to:
1. Inquire into the nature and extent of the threat posed to residents due to the dust pollution;
2. Review the fairness of the Pneumonoconiosis Act [Chapter 15:08] to non-employees of the coal mining industry that reside in coal mining areas; and
3. Make recommendations on the review of the Act given the current situation in coal mining areas.
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Residents of Hwange are worried about pollution from coal mining and want Parliament to do something. They say the current laws only protect workers in the mines, not ordinary people who also suffer. They want Parliament to investigate how this pollution is harming residents and to change the laws to protect everyone better. They are also worried about the environment being affected. The residents want Parliament to act now to make sure they and future generations are safe from harmful pollution in Hwange.

Hwange Residents Petition Parliament To Tackle Coal Dust Pollution

The Greater Hwange Residents Trust and Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) workers have petitioned the Matabeleland North provincial Environmental Management Agency (EMA) seeking the release of information regarding the pollution from Hwange Thermal Power Station of Ingagula township, which is located close to the power plant, reported the <a href="https://newsday.co.zw/southerneye/local/article/200028795/residents-petition-ema-over-hwange-air-pollution">Southern Eye</a>.
They petitioned EMA through the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and handed the petition to the EMA provincial manager Chipo Mpofu-Zuze.
According to human rights lawyers, the Ingagula township is situated close to a recently expanded thermal power station, posing a potential health risk to residents. Reads the petition:
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Our clients advise that since the commissioning of the two units, air quality levels in Ingagula township and the surrounding areas have deteriorated and there are growing cases of poor health being caused by air pollution from the emissions of the power generating stations.
Our clients are concerned that the right of the residents to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being in terms of section 73(1)(a) of the Constitution is being violated.
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The ZLHR further stated that EMA must ensure that an operation of the size of the expanded power plant (whose installed capacity is 600MW) will not harm the environment and the communities residing in the particular area before it commences. Reads the petition:
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In terms of the law, we are aware that for any operations of such magnitude to commence, in any area in Zimbabwe, your office is supposed to be informed and plays a crucial role as a regulatory authority in assessing and determining whether such an operation should commence and to ensure that the operation will not in any way harm the environment and the communities residing in the particular area.
We advise that our clients have the right to environmental information in terms of section 4(b) of the Environmental Management Act [Chapter 20:27]. As such, we have been instructed as we hereby do to request that you furnish us within seven days of your receipt of this letter the environmental impact assessment report concluded prior to the completion of Units 7 and 8, the conditions on the permitted emissions in the emissions licence for the power station issued in terms of sections 64 and 65 of the Act.
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The ZLHR requested that EMA conduct investigations into the air pollution caused by the power generating station. This is per section 63(1)(b) of the relevant Act.
Additionally, the ZLHR requested that the EMA provide them with the most recent ambient air sampling results for Hwange town, with a specific focus on the Ingagula township and surrounding areas.
EMA has yet to respond to the petition.
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