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

widely intruded by Mashonaland Dolerites. Umkondo sediments and dolerites underlie the southeast edge of
the sub-catchment.
3.38.1.3 Pedology, agriculture and land use
Soils in the sub-catchment can be divided into two groups:
• Moderately shallow to deep, coarse grained kaolinitic sands and sandy loams, derived from the granites and
gneisses; and
• Moderately deep to deep, granular clays, formed from the Greenstone Belt and the dolerites (DRSS, 1979).
The area south and west of Chiendambuya lie within Natural Region II: high and reliable to semi reliable rainfall
of up to 1000mm per annum and deep soils. Mapako and Mayo lie in Region III, with moderately high rainfall
and deep soils. The northeast lies in Region IV: fairly low rainfall of 450mm to 650mm per annum. The area
around Nyanga, Sanyatwe and Juliasdale lies in Region I, with over 900mm rainfall and over 1700m altitude
(ZSG, 1997; Surveyor General and AGRITEX, 1998).
Land in the south and west is commercial farming, private and resettlement land (ZSG, 1998), with intensive
livestock and cash crop production. Land use in the mountain country around Nyanga is specialised agriculture,
mainly tea, coffee and fruit growing, and forestry. In the northeast land use is Communal Land and
conventional resettlement land, with soils that are somewhat poorer and rainfall slightly lower, limiting
agriculture to drought resistant crops and livestock supported by fodder crops.
The major settlements are Nyamapanda border post and Nyanga town.
3.38.1.4 Surface water users
Irrigation by commercial agriculture is a major water user. The towns of Nyamapanda and Nyanga draw
drinking water from within the sub-catchment.
3.38.1.5 Water management systems
The sub-catchment falls under the Mazowe Catchment Council of ZINWA.
3.38.1.6 Human impacts on water resources (excluding mining)
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