“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

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