Skip to cookie privacy notice
Skip to main content
العربية
简中
繁中
English
Français
Deutsch
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
More
languages
Search
Donate Now
Countries
Topics
Reports
Videos & Photos
Impact
Take Action
About
Join Us
Give Now
Search
Primary navigation
Countries
Africa
All Africa
African Union
Angola
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Côte d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic of Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Liberia
Malawi
Mali
Mauritius
Mozambique
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Americas
All Americas
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela
Asia
All Asia
Afghanistan
Australia
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China and Tibet
Fiji
India
Indonesia
Japan
Laos
Malaysia
Maldives
Myanmar (Burma)
Nauru
Nepal
North Korea
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Vietnam
Europe/Central Asia
All Europe/Central Asia
Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
European Union
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Holy See
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia/Kosovo
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Uzbekistan
Middle East/North Africa
All Middle East/North Africa
Algeria
Bahrain
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel/Palestine
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Mauritania
Morocco/Western Sahara
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
United States
All United States
Criminal Justice
Democracy
Economic Justice
Immigrants’ Rights and Border Policy
Racial Justice
US Foreign Policy
Topics
Arms
Children's Rights
Crisis and Conflict
Disability Rights
Economic Justice and Rights
Environment and Human Rights
Free Speech
Health
LGBT Rights
Refugees and Migrants
Rights of Older People
International Justice
Technology and Rights
Terrorism / Counterterrorism
Torture
United Nations
Women's Rights
Reports
Video & Photos
Impact
Take Action
Join Us
Our Committees
Film Festival
Newsletters
Legacies for Justice
Voices for Justice
About
Careers
About Us
People
Social Media
Human Rights Education
Financials and Fundraising Policy
Accessibility
Contact
Give Now
Make a One-time Gift
Give Monthly
Gifts in Wills and Trusts
Partners for Justice
Stock or Wire Transfer
Give from Your IRA
Search
English
Choose your language
العربية
简中
繁中
English
Français
Deutsch
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
Donate Now
Trending
Israel/Palestine
Syria
Sudan
Russia-Ukraine War
United States
Tigray Conflict
Would you like to read this page in another language?
Yes
No, don't ask again
✕
Close
September 27, 2016
Available In
English
Français
“They Destroyed Everything”
Nagomba E., 75, standing where her house used to be in Mwabulambo, Karonga district. She and her family were told to relocate in 2008 because the land was needed for coal mining. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Mining machinery left behind at Eland coal mine at Mwabulambo after closure in 2015. Locals said that before the mine was closed, they were not informed about the closure or how the company intended to mitigate risks stemming from the abandoned mining site. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Rojaina N., under the tree that served as a shelter for her family and where she and her family lived for a couple of weeks after their relocation due to coal mining operations in Mwabulambo, Karonga district. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Beatrice N., processing cassava in front of her house in Mwabulambo near an abandoned coal mine. Beatrice and her family were relocated to this place in 2008 and lost most of their farm land. She said: “The difference is, my previous place had land for me to farm my cassava, maize, and ground nuts. We had mango trees … fruits, and bananas…. So coming here and starting over is different. I don’t have land for groundnuts, nothing for maize and nothing for cassava….The better soil for farming is where we used to live at the mine.” © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Young girl washing dishes at a borehole near Eland coal mine in Mwabulambo, Karonga district. Women and girls who are largely responsible for fetching water often have to walk longer distances—as a result of mining activity that has affected usual water sources—to fetch water from what they believe are less contaminated sources, farther away from the mines, risking danger and losing time to attend school, earn money, and rest. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Malcoal mine in Kayelekera. The open-pit coal mine is among the four largest coal mines in the country and is located on the back of a mountain, close to a river. Malcoal was reported to have closed down operations at the end of 2015, but the mine was still operational as of July 2016. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Dry rice fields by the road to Eland coal mine, Mwabulambo. Residents said that the heavy mining trucks destroyed culverts that were part of the water irrigation, decreasing their harvest. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Dirt road leading to Eland coal mine passing by the rice fields of Mwabulambo community. Eland used coal to patch up potholes on the roads. Some villagers noticed a significant decrease in the productivity of their fields. They believe this is a result of the coal that washes into their land during the rainy season. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Open pit filled with water at Eland coal mine, Mwabulambo. After closure in 2015, the company left behind several open pits, piles of coal, and deep holes filled with water. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water, water testing results from 2015 indicated that the water in the open pits is acidic and therefore harmful to human health. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Fields near Eland coal mine, Mwabulambo. Most residents are subsistence farmers who grow rice, maize, cassava, and groundnuts. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Fishermen bring in their daily catch of local fish usipa from Lake Malawi, Karonga district. © 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch
Region / Country
Africa
Malawi
Topic
Oil, Mining, and Natural Resources