Tarime. The Tarime District Council chairman, Mr Amos Sagara, has asked the government to form a task force to investigate challenges facing villages surrounding the Barrick North Mara Gold Mine and come up with a lasting solution.

Speaking at the full council meeting in Tarime, Mr Sagara said that for a long time residents of the villages have been complaining that they face problems in the environment that endanger their lives.

He said that people claim that there have been leakages of toxic water from the mine which spoil sources of water at the villages.

He suggested that the task force to be formed by the government should visit all seven villages surrounding the mine, unlike the previous time when it didn�t visit all villages.

Mr Sagara said that the taskforce should also come back with the feedback on what they revealed during their probation and come up with suggestions on how the challenges should be solved.

Speaking at the meeting, a land surveyor from the ministry of Land, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Mr Adam Yusuf, said that his ministry has formed a taskforce that will survey, value the land and compensate people surrounding the mine.

He said that the main objective of the government to form the task force was to make sure that problems facing villages get solutions to bring peace and harmony amongst residents and the mine�s management.

He said the exercise will come up with a lasting solution and let the mine conduct its activities smoothly, while wananchi also will have their rights and continue with their development activities for the benefit of their families and the nation at large.