Zimbabwe’s lithium liability

Zimbabwe’s largest lithium mine, Bikita Minerals, stands accused of polluting water sources in the southern Masvingo province and drawing unsustainably large volumes of water from a dam that is the lifeline of local residents.

Last year, the mine discharged unknown effluent into the Matezva Dam, which services a nearby irrigation scheme as well as hundreds of families from the parched Gutu and Bikita districts. It was fined $5 000 by the Environmental Management Agency — the highest penalty for such offenders ...