EDITORIAL: Time to act on killer mines
After a brief lull, the safety of small-scale mines is once again in the news.
This follows the collapse of a pit on Friday in Bukombe District in which two artisanal gold miners were killed and one seriously injured.
The precarious safety situation at small-scale mines is a problem that has refused to go away.
In 2009, at least 70 miners died when rainwater flooded a shaft at the Mererani tanzanite mines in Simanjaro District, Manyara Region. In 2002, 40 people suffocated in a shaft at the mines when a machine pumping in fresh air broke down. For how long will this be allowed to continue?
The problem is that small-scale mining is to a large extent unregulated in Tanzania, making the country’s small-scale mines some of the most dangerous in Africa.
The way the pits are dug and the absence of rescue and other emergency services make it virtually impossible to carry out rescue and recovery operations in the event of an accident.
It’s time frequent inspections were carried out at small-scale mines all over the country with a view to preventing further loss of life. Those found to be wanting insofar as safety is concerned should be blacklisted and closed down immediately.
