Baluba mine shuts down pumps, ventilation fans

Baluba mine shuts down pumps, ventilation fans
Written by Zumani Katasefa in Luanshya
Saturday, January 03, 2009 7:32:05 AM

LUANSHYA‘s Baluba Mine faces serious flooding following the shutting down of vital installations at the mine.Briefing the press yesterday, Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) Luanshya branch chairman Stanslous Mwimbe disclosed that management at the mine had decided to shut down pumps and ventilation fans.

Mwimbe said the critically affected areas of the mine were 480 meter level flat area, climb centre, strike lump and SS 40 where all fans and pumps had been isolated from the areas. Other areas affected are 545 to 560 meter levels strike lump.

“At 580 level, all fans and pumps have been isolated except two small pumps. The 580 meter level centre haulage and exploration haulages SS 34 and SS 33 where there are boreholes and main collecting points for water underground have also been left without any ventilation and dewatering pumps.

As of 2nd January 2009, these areas are inaccessible because there is no ventilation and water is building up fast such that the crew which was sent this morning to go and collect the fans failed to reach the sections. If this situation is allowed to continue for a few more days, the mine will flood,” Mwimbe said.

He said in normal circumstances, mine rescue teams together with the ventilation officers were expected to carry out inspection exercises in areas which were not accessible by ordinary miners.

“The mine rescue and ventilation officers are not part of the care and maintenance plan. The fire services department has been left out of the care and maintenance team. Should any fire occur on any part of the mine, there would be no one to quench the fire on the mine,” he said.

He added that the Muzi Dam which was at the tail end of the mine and contains all the tailing and water from processing plants of the mines, had water contaminated with dangerous chemicals such as cyanide and its maintenance was controlled by environmental law.

“Under normal circumstances, the dam is maintained by a minimum of 50 people day and night with equipment such as front end loaders graders and tippers. In the current care and maintenance plan, they only provided for two people. This dam if not properly maintained has the potential to flood the mine and surrounding townships that is Roan and Luanshya townships,” he said.

Mwimbe said Luanshya Dam contained water from Luanshya streets and other streams in the surrounding area which was used in the processing plants of the mine.
He feared that with the plants closed down and the heavy rains being experienced, there would be no outlet for the water.

“The outlet foot pipe which used to drain water from Luanshya Dam was uprooted and sold off as scrap. Failure to manage the pumping of water from the Luanshya Dam and Baluba mines would result in Luanshya township and Baluba Mine to completely cut off north township like it happened in 2006,” he said.

Mwimbe added that the anti-pollution and pump chambers at the concentrator were some of the facilities which were not under care and maintenance plan.

“These are key facilities which pump out tails to the dams, if left unattended to and out of operations, the pump houses will easily flood and expensive equipment will be lost. Even under Binani/Ramcoz care and maintenance programme of 2000 with 600 employees with fully operational ventilation and pumping facilities at Baluba, 28, 18 and 14 shafts and management of Luanshya dam and concentrator facilities, the mine flooded and there was rampant vandalism which made it very expensive and difficult to restart the mine,” he said.

Mwimbe who described the action to shut down the pumps as criminal appealed to the government to take over the mine immediately to avoid the impending disaster.

He said government should bring ZCCM -IH on site with resources to manage the mine or find a credible investor since the current management had abandoned the facility.