ZAMBIA’S CHINYUNYU HOT SPRINGS-THE ABANDONED GEM

ZAMBIA’S CHINYUNYU HOT SPRINGS-THE ABANDONED GEM

by

Timothy Kamuzu Phiri

The Chinyunyu Hot Springs are located 80 kilometres from Lusaka Central Business District (CBD) and roughly 25 kilometres from Chongwe town. It is a tourist and heritage site under the jurisdiction of the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC).

I have known the Chinyunyu Hot Springs my entire life. As a child every time my family would travel to the Eastern Province to visit my grandparents, we would stop by just to commune the natural ambiance of the springs. As geography students at the University of Zambia we would stop by every time we had a project trip to the Luangwa District. To this day I find time to stop by the Hot Springs almost as a form of personal obligation to see how they are doing. My 30 plus years communion with the hot springs has been a joyous experience but also a sad one.

It has been joyous because, of course, no one can doubt the wonder of the springs and the tranquil effect they have on you every time you are in the early morning steamy ambiance or place your feet in the hot spring water. It has been sad because with every visit I have noticed a gradual decline in the quality of the hot springs ecosystem. A visit of the hot springs today reveals over grown grass, litter along the spring stream course and in some cases even in the stream itself. It is really a site that is unbecoming of a national heritage site.

I know I risk sounding monotonous with a bash Zambia and NHCC 101 rant, but the truth is the truth, facts are facts and they have to be told and spoken as they are. The intention is not to bash but to build and offer advice to the stakeholders that be. The Chinyunyu Hot Springs have tremendous tourism potential both for local tourists and international tourists. The local tourists trickle in and pay a minimal service fee (local Chinyunyu residents don’t pay at all) but none of them spends more than 30 minutes at the site because once they view the spring’s source and stream there is hardly anything else to see or do. The lack of other entertaining activities at the site is the reason it can not be marketed to an international tourist audience. The hot springs require a serious upgrade in terms of scenic beauty to draw international tourists and more local tourists. If we are serious about expanding the tourism sector then development of the Chinyunyu Hot springs is imperative. We should not only be seen to speak about finding more sustainable and environmentally friendly forex generating alternatives, we should be seen to take full advantage of developing the economic potential of sites like the Chinyunyu Hot Springs.

What is missing at Chinyunyu Hot Springs is an eco-project that builds sauna rooms/steam rooms, hot spring ponds, jacuzzis and showers-the creation of a natural therapeutic spa resort of sorts. The healing/ therapeutic/regenerative powers of the spring waters are not just a myth spread by locals who bring sick people every day. Hot spring waters are scientifically known to have a variety of minerals, including silica, calcium and sodium bicarbonate which dissolve into the water from underground. The hot spring waters are known to boost blood circulation, reduce stress and promote sleep, relieve pain and heal skin problems (www.mindfood.com/article/health-benefits-of-hot-springs/). The onus is on the National Heritage Conservation Commission to find ways of developing this tourist site before a foreign investor comes in and makes it a site that’s reserved only for a privileged few. If NHCC spearheads the upgrade and development it will be able to make the Chinyunyu Hot Springs a high quality site without locking out the locals who have minimal financial means. The Chinyunyu Hot Springs as of now are like an abandoned gem in the rough, all it needs is a bit of cutting and polishing and it will rise and shine.

https://youtu.be/1fGtrHOMrAY