Hwange Colliery Corporation Ltd (HCCL), Zimbabwe's oldest and largest mining company, has recruited a German-based company to assist in resolving underground coal fires.
The fires have been raging for years and are endangering the homes and lives of 20,000 residents in Matabeleland North's coal mining town of Hwange.
According to a research by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG), horrifying instances of individuals being sucked into underground coal fires in the town were reported. A ten-year-old child was herding cattle in 2009 when the ground broke way beneath his feet. Recent reports indicate that an eight-year-old child died from third-degree burns sustained after she fell into a coal fire pit as the ground underneath her cut in.
CNRG's director, Farai Maguwu, told TimesLIVE that the coal mining firm need fire tracking technology to detect high-risk locations in the community.
"HCCL is being administered. I'm not sure how they're going to pay the German corporation. Extinguishing coal seam fires is an extremely costly endeavor. HCCL should invest in a state-of-the-art fire tracking system and secure dangerous places with fences.
"The issue is not just about humans being burned alive; it also impacts wildlife, which can become agitated by flames, exacerbating human-wildlife interactions." Additionally, the corporation must conduct active community awareness initiatives. The majority of Hwange inhabitants are unaware of the dangers of coal seam fires," Maguwu explained.
Coal seam fires are underground fires that are started by human activities during the coal mining process. They have the potential to burn for decades. The out-of-sight fires pose health risks to residents, and environmental dangers include poisonous gases, rekindled fires, and sinkholes.
HCCL managing director Charles Zinyemba said in a statement that the mining business has invested in a drone and hired a German consultancy to address the underground coal fires.
"HCCL has invested in a drone equipped with a thermal camera for the goal of enhancing security and detecting underground fires. Hwange Colliery Company has since recruited a German-based expert company to assist with necessary adjustments as part of long-term mitigation measures. The organization is one of the top engineering teams in the world that has intervened in coal seam fires similar to the one currently underway," Zinyemba explained.
