With 40,000 inhabitants, Moatize is the second largest city in Western Mozambique. It is also one of the most polluted since two open pit coal mines started operating directly next to residential spaces in 2011. The operations of the mine, including blasting and heavy traffic, release dust particles into the air, which fall over nearby communities.
The dust pollutes the air, water and food which leads to health problems for residents of Moatize. Water pollution and depletion is also a concern for the many residents who depend on subsistence agriculture and fishing for their livelihoods.
Conflicts are arising in the area as a result. To help prevent this, Source International and the joint Swedish EPA-UNDP Global Environmental Governance Programme on Mining collaborated in 2019 with the local community in Moatize, local government officials, the national human rights institution, and the Mozambican environmental protection agency (AQUA) to pilot a Participatory Environmental Monitoring Project.
The project trained local community members on how to monitor impacts of coal mining activities, understand the human rights impacts, and provide scientifically sound information that can inform an inclusive dialogue with the mining company and the government to mitigate and prevent conflicts. Relevant government officials also received trainings on how to support these community-based approaches.
The approach highlights the importance for communities to have knowledge and information about environmental impacts, to participate in decision making in matters that affect them, and to be able to seek redress and justice when their rights are violated. Such approaches can help protect the environment, safeguard human rights, and advance multiple sustainable development goals.
Film by Source International.
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