Buried vehicles at First Quantum raise environmental concerns
By By Mulimbi Mulaliki
Friday March 21, 2008 [03:00]
FIRST Quantum Mining Operations Limited (FQMOL) mining division at Kansanshi Mining Plc has buried some vehicles raising environmental concerns among workers and stakeholders in Solwezi. Handing over a refurbished Toyota Hilux double cab to Zambia Police Service in Solwezi on Wednesday, FQMOL project manager Ron Day confirmed that the company buried vehicles which had outlived their lifespan within the mine area.
“The vehicles buried were just scrap and they could not be sold that is why we decided to burry them. If they were in a good condition we could have auctioned them to either members of the public or to our workers,” Day said.
Day said the company followed procedure in disposing of the vehicles, adding that the method they used was not going to pose any effect on the environment.
Solwezi Council spokesperson Kingsley Mutayachalo expressed concern by FQMO decision to burry the vehicles.
Mutayachalo said it was not safe to burry the vehicles because they remained an environmental hazard.
“They should have found a better way of disposing off the scrapped vehicles other than burying them,” Mutayachalo said.
But some workers said the buried vehicles were still running. The workers indicated that their management refused to sell the vehicles to workers fearing that they would be stealing spare parts from the ware house to be servicing the same vehicles.
“We drove those vehicles to the site where they were buried and they have decided to refurbish one of those still remaining and donated to police as a way of avoiding criticism,” the workers said.
During the donation, Kansanshi Mine public relations manager Philip Msiska said the population increase in Solwezi had brought a number of challenges for the police to cope with.
Msiska said the vehicle donated to police would help to enhance police operations.
“It is common knowledge that the renewed economic operations in Solwezi have also attracted criminals.
This means that police now has to work even harder to contain crime in Solwezi. However, these efforts on the part of the police are sometimes hampered by limited availability of operational vehicles when the police desperately need to cover several areas at the same time,” Msiska said.
And in receiving the vehicle, North Western Province police commanding officer Fabian Katiba appreciated Kansanshi Mine’s continued assistance to police operations in the district.
Katiba said the vehicle would assist police in policing crime by increasing night patrols.
Labels: FIRST QUANTUM MINING, KANSANSHI MINING PLC, POLLUTION
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ECZ to keep monitoring Mopani operations
By Joan Chirwa
Thursday January 17, 2008 [03:00]
THE Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) will continue to monitor operations of Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) at its refinery in Mufulira to avoid a re-occurrence of pollution, the council’s director Edward Zulu has said. But Mufulira residents have insisted that ECZ was failing to carry out its duties as an environmental regulator owing to the government’s control over it.
Meanwhile, Kankoyo area member of parliament Percy Chanda has threatened to start legal proceedings against MCM for “trivialising” the pollution that recently occurred in Mufulira.
In an interview, Zulu said the environmental experts from the ECZ were constantly monitoring operations of MCM’s refinery following the depletion of some pumps which were discharging acid into underground water that is being supplied to a number of residents by Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company.
“Operations were closed at the point where the pumps where leaking. The machine they (MCM) have is underground and when it started leaking, the acid polluted underground water where Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company pumps water and supplies to most of the residents in Mufulira,” Zulu explained. “ECZ is on site. We are working with Mopani to ensure that what happened a few weeks ago doesn’t re-occur.
I understand the company has already purchased pumps to replace the old ones that were leaking.”
But some Mufulira residents said ECZ had failed to adequately control environmental issues in the country.
Chitalu Musonda, a resident said it was very annoying to see how the matter of pollution was trivialised.
“My daughter was one of the victims that suffered severe vomiting and diarrhea because of taking water that was polluted with acid,” he said.
Chanda said he had written MCM more than three times seeking an audience with them over the resulting pollution.
“But I have failed to meet them. Now I am just thinking of speaking to my lawyers as one of the MPs in the area so that legal action can be taken on behalf of the people,” said Chanda in an interview.
“I come from a mining background. Before Mopani came, there was ZCCM operating that mine. From operations of ZCMM, Sulphur Dioxide was being emitted, but when Mopani took over, it changed operations.
Mopani changed the technology and brought in the Isa Smelter which is supposed to run in tandem with the acid plant. So the amount of discharge by ZCCM was not that much compared to what Mopani is discharging.”
Labels: ECZ, KCM, MOPANI, POLLUTION
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Kabwe lead pollution has reduced - ZCCM-IH
By Gillian Namungala
Sunday October 14, 2007 [04:00]
LEVELS of lead pollution in most parts of Kabwe town have reduced, Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) environmental coordination unit project manager Joseph Kabwe has said. But findings by the Advocacy for Environmental Restoration Zambia (AREZ) have revealed that Kabwe is still the 10th most lead polluted town in the world. During a workshop organised by AREZ, Kabwe described the lead mitigation project as a success.
“The lead in most areas that were affected has reduced and we hope that there will be a further reduction with time,” Kabwe said.
He catalogued the training of doctors in leadchology, rehabilitation of boreholes in lead affected compounds, greening of grass and the creation of play parks for children as some of the successes of the project.
Kabwe further said six groups of women had been funded to help them engage in income generating activities as a way of preventing scavenging at dumping sites that were highly polluted with lead.
He said ZCCM-IH would soon tar the Lukanga Road leading to Lukanga Swamps to reduce lead in the dust.
However, Kabwe said as long as the source of the lead pollution - soil - was not contained, the lead levels would remain high.
He said before ZCCM-IH hands over the project, it would ensure that the council had the capacity to sustain it.
“We know that the council has no capacity to carry out those projects so we want to assist them before handing over these projects,” he said.
But Kabwe Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) chairperson Wilfred Wonani argued that despite recording some successes in some projects others had made less impact.
Some projects such as the allocation of land in lead polluted areas and the greening of grass when people had no water were criticised by most Kabwe residents.
Labels: AREZ, KABWE, KCCI, POLLUTION, ZCCM-IH
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Mopani mines under probe
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Wednesday June 06, 2007 [04:00]
CITIZENS for Better Environment (CBE) has sent its inspectors to Mululu and Luanshimba streams in Kitwe to verify reports that Mopani Copper Mines is discharging effluent into the streams that joins the Kafue River. And CBE executive director Peter Sinkamba yesterday said that both air and water pollution by the mining companies was still a major problem which the residents of Chambishi, Chingola, Kitwe and Mufulira were facing.
Speaking ahead of the World Environmental Day yesterday, Sinkamba said there were reports that Mopani mines through its tailings dams located south-east of Wusakile and Chamboli townships, was discharging effluent into the two streams which joins the Kafue River.
“We have sent our officers to verify those reports and if they confirmed to be true then we will ensure that Mopani is taken to task because this is a fresh case of pollution which needs to be addressed,” Sinkamba said.
This is not the first time that Mopani mines was discharging effluent into the Kafue River as in February this year, the mining firm polluted the river with sulphuric acid.
The Mululu and Luanshimba streams join the Kafue River near the Zambia National Service camp which is off the Kitwe/ Ndola road.
And Sinkamba said residents of Chambishi, Chingola, Kitwe and Mufulira were still exposed to the effects of polluted air and water being discharged by the mines.
“These problems are still existing and we are only waiting to see improvements when the stability period given to the mines comes to an end next year because by then they will start working towards addressing these issues,” said Sinkamba.
Labels: CBE, MCM, MOPANI, POLLUTION
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