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Senate Deputy President Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Michael R. Nyambuya has ordered the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to immediately stop illegal mining activities at Christmas Pass in Mutare and Marlborough in Harare following concerns over public safety and environmental degradation. Nyambuya issued the directive during Thursday's Question and Answer session in the Senate after Senator Irene Zindi raised alarm over the impact of mining operations at the two sites. Zindi warned that gold mining activities at Christmas Pass had left a massive trench stretching between five and 10 kilometres, posing a serious flooding risk to nearby communities as well as Christ Hill Primary and Secondary School in Manicaland Province. "People living in that area are now afraid that if a cyclone occurs, they will be in great danger," she said. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn "If that trench is filled with water from the mountain, the water can wash away all the houses, including a school." The senator also raised concerns over continued mining activities in Marlborough, Harare, alleging that miners had resumed operations despite previous interventions by authorities. Responding on behalf of the Mines Ministry, Deputy Minister Caleb Makwiranzou said government inspectors had assessed the Christmas Pass site and concluded there was no immediate danger to surrounding communities. However, he acknowledged that miners were engaging in heap leaching, a mining practice prohibited in Zimbabwe. "Our inspectors visited the area and established that there was no risk. However, those people are doing heap leaching, which is not permissible in our country," Makwiranzou said. He added that miners had excavated pits measuring about 20 metres deep and that the ministry had already issued warning letters. Makwiranzou said the ministry had also instructed the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to interdict the miners and was awaiting the outcome of those processes. On the Marlborough operations, the deputy minister confirmed that he and the Mines secretary had inspected the site and found illegal mining activities taking place in the residential suburb. "We do not allow urban mining unless it is allowed by the local authority. Right now, we are waiting for the police to interdict those people," he said. An unconvinced Zindi questioned why the mining activities were continuing despite government interventions. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Right now, as we are here in Parliament debating, these people are mining. What then is supposed to be done?" she asked. Nyambuya then directed the ministry to act without delay. "Minister, may you stop such activities with immediate effect. I do not think that it is a good thing for people to be mining in urban areas." The directive comes amid mounting public concern over mining activities at Christmas Pass, one of Zimbabwe's most iconic natural landmarks, where environmental groups and residents have been calling for an immediate suspension of operations over safety, environmental and heritage conservation concerns. Recently, the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) petitioned President Emmerson Mnangagwa to halt mining activities at Christmas Pass, citing that the operations are causing irreversible environmental damage. Read the original article on New Zimbabwe . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers n