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OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING ON THE ... - IIED pubs

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3.37.1.1 Hydrology<br />

This is Zones M1, M3-M7, UR1-UR4, IY1-IY3 and N1-N3 of Area D (ZSG, 1984). The major<br />

tributaries of the perennial Mazowe (Mazoe) River are the Nyadiri (Zones N1-N3), Nyagui<br />

(IY1-IY3) and Marodzi (Umrodsi) (UR1-UR4) (Figure 3.2). The Mazowe is dammed at<br />

Mazowe Dam in the Iron Mask Range (Zone M7).<br />

3.37.1.2 Geology<br />

See Figure 3.6 (ZGS, 1999). The Zimbabwe Craton underlies most of the sub-catchment: Dindi Greenstone<br />

Belt, Makaha Greenstone Belt, Harare-Bindura-Shamva Greenstone Belt and granitic terrain. Zambezi Mobile<br />

Belt gneisses underlie the far north. The granites in the Mutoko and Murehwa areas are widely intruded by<br />

Mashonaland Dolerites.<br />

3.37.1.3 Pedology, agriculture and land use<br />

Soils in the sub-catchment can be divided into two groups:<br />

• Moderately shallow to deep, coarse grained kaolinitic sands and sandy loams, tending towards clays in the<br />

area north of Marondera, derived from the granites and gneisses; and<br />

• Moderately deep to deep, granular clays, formed from the Greenstone Belt and the dolerites (DRSS, 1979).<br />

The western half of the sub-catchment, from Harare to Bindura, Murehwa and Shamva, lies within Natural<br />

Region II: high and reliable to semi reliable rainfall of up to 1000mm per annum and deep soils. Mutoko and<br />

Katiyo lie in Region III, with moderately high rainfall and deep soils . The northeast of the sub-catchment,<br />

beyond Mutoko, lies in Region IV: fairly low rainfall of 450mm to 650mm per annum (ZSG, 1997; Surveyor<br />

General and AGRITEX, 1998).<br />

Land in the south and west is commercial farming, private and resettlement land (ZSG, 1998), with intensive<br />

livestock and cash crop production. In the north and east land use is Communal Land and conventional<br />

resettlement land, with soils that are somewhat poorer and rainfall slightly lower, limiting agriculture to drought<br />

resistant crops and livestock supported by fodder crops.<br />

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