Mozambique: Pollution forces fishermen to stop fishing in Manica – AIM report

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Mozambique: Pollution forces fishermen to stop fishing in Manica – AIM report

3:16 CAT | 01 Aug 2025

FILE - Chicamba. [File photo: Domingo]

Pollution of the Revue and Chicamba rivers in the central Mozambican province of Manica has forced about 500 fishermen to stop fishing in those rivers, reports Thursday’s issue of the independent daily “O Pais”.

The rivers have been polluted by gold miners, who use toxic materials, including mercury. This has led to a sharp decline in the number of fish in the rivers, including species such as tilapia. The pollution has also affected agricultural production along the river banks.

According to the chairperson of the Community Fisheries Council on the Chicamba reservoir, Sibiao Kunai, “the contamination endangers the local communities, including the consumers of fish. A solution must be found urgently – otherwise, there will be no fish left in the Revue and Chicamba rivers. Furthermore, the crops of producers farming along the river banks are also being destroyed”.

Mercury is used in gold mining. It is highly toxic both to fish and to human beings. Kunai said this pollution has forced many fishermen to stop fishing on the two rivers.

The river water now has what Kunai described as a “strange” odour and colour, and is not fit for human consumption. “The water from these rivers cannot be used to irrigate crops or for daily use by the public”, he said. “Hundreds of families have lost their crops”.

READ: Mozambique: Hard times in Manica as polluted rivers force farmers to abandon agriculture

Mining in Manica is nothing new, but Kunai said the pollution has never been as serious as it is now. He added that the main offenders are not the small-scale artisanal miners, but companies mining for gold on an industrial scale.

He noted that the companies have moved from one area to another, but are continuing to mine “in a way that we regard as irresponsible. What we want is for them to understand that there are people who depend on fishing for their livelihood, and people who rely on agriculture, and that the quality of the water is important for agricultural production”.

The maritime administrator for Manica and Sofala provinces, Daniel Bango, recognised the poor quality of the river water. “If this continues, we’re going to have a problem”, he said, “because the fishermen will have no more fish”.

Source: AIM