The study focused on how environmental degradation due to unregulated illegal mining activities is affecting the welfare of communities in general and women in particular with regards to access good quality water. The methodological design was a qualitative approach and focused on the two districts of Shamva and Bindura in Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe. The study noted that the area of environmental policing has remained weak and compromised owing to a combination of factors, key among them being the difficult socio-economic environment which has often seen a lot of communities destroying the environment around them, political populism leading to the destruction of local ecologies and general disregard of responsibilities by companies operating mining, construction, and other enterprises.This has seen the gradual destruction and pollution of fresh water bodies across the communities.The study revealed that there is a considerable level of pollution on some water bodies in the two districts. The pollution is largely caused by the use of mercury and cyanide by the illegal gold panners and artisanal miners in the area. This has restricted opportunities for women’s access to safe domestic water. Women are using strategies such as outsourcing from neighboring communities with relatively safe water for domestic use, differentiating water for cooking and drinking and for other activities like bathing and laundry, water harvesting during rain seasons and buying from shops in extreme circumstances. In conclusion, the coping mechanisms only offer temporary relief and are not be sustainable in the long run.Keywords: Hazards, Coping Mechanisms, Mining, Environment, Legislation, Kyoto Protocol, Human Right

This research analysed the contribution of the Bindura Community Share Ownership Trust (BCSOT) to Bindura Rural District Council (BRDC) in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. Key informant interviews and the survey questionnaire were used for primary data collection while secondary sources such as the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act of 2007 and Statutory Instrument of 2010 which established the Community Share Ownership Trusts were analysed. The research found that 45 projects had been embarked on by the BCSOT. These projects included water, health, education and roads. It concludes that these projects had greatly contributed to rural development in Bindura Rural District Council. The respondents indicated that if CSOTs are to succeed, there should local community involvement in the identification of projects. The research recommended that the BCSOT should also establish small to medium enterprises and other income-generating projects in order to improve rural livelihoods.

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