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EFFORTS AT ADDRESSING MINING PULLUTION AFTER ZCCM
BY MWENYA MUKUKA.
There is no iota of doubt that the more than 80 years of mining in Zambia has left a trail of deep-seated environmental problems.
In 1991, after taking office, the MMD the government embarked on the privatization of the mines on the copperbelt province and Kabwe town that were under Zambia consolidated copper mines (ZCCM).
In the time of ZCCM, the control of pollution and other environmental hazards were left in the hands of other departments of government and ministries. The observation however is that; these regulating offices could not have done a good job as evidenced to many environmental liabilities that the mines before they were given into the hands of the private hands left.
During the operations of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM), pollution was not only confined to air, these Mines left trails of environmental degradation.
In the time of ZCCM there was ‘little’ Environmental regulatory body in Zambia . The Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) as a statutory body was established in 1992 as an ACT of parliament. It is mandated to protect the environment and control pollution so as to provide for the health and welfare of persons, and the environment.
Mounds of waste materials quarried from the mines are still an issue, they actually greet you as you enter Kitwe .
These waste materials mounds that the new mine owners had refused to take over have compromised the safety of domestic water, with some reports of people’s dental formula being affected.
Fumes of Sulphur dioxide commonly referred to as center, ever chocked people and created discomfort resulting in breath difficulties especially in children.
‘ My house I occupied in Kitwe on the copperbelt province before I retired 15years ago was the distance between nose and mouth from the mining area. The sulphur dioxide emissions affected my last born child so much, that today he has asthma because of that sulphur dioxide.’ Claims Mr. Joseph Banda former captain in the mines.
The pollutants also resulted in stunted growth of vegetation especially in Kankoyo compound in Mufulira. Trees no longer grow above the Knee and it has since been acknowledged that some Copperbelt towns and Kabwe are reeling under serious environmental conditions.
But Environmental council of Zambia senior communication manager Justine Mukosa said efforts are being made at making sure that the new mines adhere to the regulations that guard the environment.
The Environmental Council of Zambia had been the mandated to regulate and license the environmental operations of the mines and in different areas of pollution.
The mandate of the ECZ is to make sure that the levels of pollution are kept within the standards set by the environmental protection and pollution control act and make sure the mines comply with the standards.
‘The mines have facilities now that capture sulphur dioxide and turn that into sulphiric acid for use in their processes’ ECZ senior communications officer Justine Mukosa said.
The Environmental Council of Zambia’s works is commendable due to its effective monitoring and charge of the mines that have flouted the laws and rules regarding environmental regard.
But when the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines was in place the ECZ, was not in place and some of the regulations and statutory instruments were not in existence. So although the mines were regulated by other departments, environmental disasters left by ZCCM is call for everyone’s concern.
At the entry into Kitwe , you are greeted by the huge mountains of environmental liability that according to some research has affected the water table and polluting the rivers. All such were because of the absence of an Environmental Management plan.
The new mines that took over the mines after the privatization process refused to take over the waste materials.
But for it is required by law for each new mine do an Environmental Impact Assessment. From that, each mine is required to do an environmental management plan.
And the ECZ senior communication Officer Justine Mukosa further explained to this writer that after the new mines had refused to take care of the environmental liabilities left by the ZCCM government got engaged with the Copperbelt Environmental Project that comes to an end this year from 2003.
Government 56. 6 million US dollars which is partly a loan from the World Bank and a grant from the Nordic government under a five year project to address the impact of environmental degradation that ZCCM left.
‘That the Copperbelt Environmental Project is specifically meant to address the past mining liabilities like rehabilitating former mines and other past mining pollution issues.’ Mr. Mukosa explained.
The Copperbelt Environmental Project will definitely have desired results with the specific legislation to control air, water, chemical, waste, land and other pollutants.
Kabwe town, for hundred years, it has spelled wealth for mining companies. Ore veins with lead concentrations as high as 20 percent have been mined deep into the earth and a smelting operation was set up to process the ore. Rich deposits of sulphide ore consisted of silicates, oxides and carbonates of lead, which averaged 34 percent in lead concentration.
Recently a report by the New York-based Blacksmith Institute has rated Kabwe top-ten of a new list of the world’s worst polluted places due to very high lead concentrations left over from previous mining operations.
With such a report, Collins Chama, president of the Environmental Concerns Zambia, a non governmental organization sanitizing the community on the dangers of pollution in Kabwe, noted that such a situation is as a result of non regard for the environment prior to privatization programme.
But Environmental Council of Zambia senior communications officer noted that the report from the Blacksmith Institute had some exaggerations in its report.
‘In as far as there could be some degree of lead pollution in Kabwe, the report from the Blacksmith Institute had some exaggerations in it. If such levels prescribed in those reports are the ones to go by, children in Kabwe could have been ‘cabbages’, but levels of lead pollution in Kabwe are those that can be maintained and right now are a number of activities are taking place in Kabwe regarding containing the lead pollution levels’ He said.
He explained that though a study done by a consultant engaged by ZCCM-Investments holding brought out key issues of mental retardation especially in children. Planting of trees and grass, tarring of roads are just some of the many projects that are being worked on Kabwe so that lead cannot be in contact with people as it is found basically in soil.
When the privatization process finished the new owners of the Mines refused to take responsibility of the high degree of environmental degradation left by Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines.
Protecting public health safety, reducing or preventing environmental degradation and allowing productive utilization of land, either for pre-mining use, or other alternatives as copperbelt environmental project seeks to see will have far stretching socio-economic benefits for Zambia.
BY MWENYA MUKUKA.
There is no iota of doubt that the more than 80 years of mining in Zambia has left a trail of deep-seated environmental problems.
In 1991, after taking office, the MMD the government embarked on the privatization of the mines on the copperbelt province and Kabwe town that were under Zambia consolidated copper mines (ZCCM).
In the time of ZCCM, the control of pollution and other environmental hazards were left in the hands of other departments of government and ministries. The observation however is that; these regulating offices could not have done a good job as evidenced to many environmental liabilities that the mines before they were given into the hands of the private hands left.
During the operations of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM), pollution was not only confined to air, these Mines left trails of environmental degradation.
In the time of ZCCM there was ‘little’ Environmental regulatory body in Zambia . The Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) as a statutory body was established in 1992 as an ACT of parliament. It is mandated to protect the environment and control pollution so as to provide for the health and welfare of persons, and the environment.
Mounds of waste materials quarried from the mines are still an issue, they actually greet you as you enter Kitwe .
These waste materials mounds that the new mine owners had refused to take over have compromised the safety of domestic water, with some reports of people’s dental formula being affected.
Fumes of Sulphur dioxide commonly referred to as center, ever chocked people and created discomfort resulting in breath difficulties especially in children.
‘ My house I occupied in Kitwe on the copperbelt province before I retired 15years ago was the distance between nose and mouth from the mining area. The sulphur dioxide emissions affected my last born child so much, that today he has asthma because of that sulphur dioxide.’ Claims Mr. Joseph Banda former captain in the mines.
The pollutants also resulted in stunted growth of vegetation especially in Kankoyo compound in Mufulira. Trees no longer grow above the Knee and it has since been acknowledged that some Copperbelt towns and Kabwe are reeling under serious environmental conditions.
But Environmental council of Zambia senior communication manager Justine Mukosa said efforts are being made at making sure that the new mines adhere to the regulations that guard the environment.
The Environmental Council of Zambia had been the mandated to regulate and license the environmental operations of the mines and in different areas of pollution.
The mandate of the ECZ is to make sure that the levels of pollution are kept within the standards set by the environmental protection and pollution control act and make sure the mines comply with the standards.
‘The mines have facilities now that capture sulphur dioxide and turn that into sulphiric acid for use in their processes’ ECZ senior communications officer Justine Mukosa said.
The Environmental Council of Zambia’s works is commendable due to its effective monitoring and charge of the mines that have flouted the laws and rules regarding environmental regard.
But when the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines was in place the ECZ, was not in place and some of the regulations and statutory instruments were not in existence. So although the mines were regulated by other departments, environmental disasters left by ZCCM is call for everyone’s concern.
At the entry into Kitwe , you are greeted by the huge mountains of environmental liability that according to some research has affected the water table and polluting the rivers. All such were because of the absence of an Environmental Management plan.
The new mines that took over the mines after the privatization process refused to take over the waste materials.
But for it is required by law for each new mine do an Environmental Impact Assessment. From that, each mine is required to do an environmental management plan.
And the ECZ senior communication Officer Justine Mukosa further explained to this writer that after the new mines had refused to take care of the environmental liabilities left by the ZCCM government got engaged with the Copperbelt Environmental Project that comes to an end this year from 2003.
Government 56. 6 million US dollars which is partly a loan from the World Bank and a grant from the Nordic government under a five year project to address the impact of environmental degradation that ZCCM left.
‘That the Copperbelt Environmental Project is specifically meant to address the past mining liabilities like rehabilitating former mines and other past mining pollution issues.’ Mr. Mukosa explained.
The Copperbelt Environmental Project will definitely have desired results with the specific legislation to control air, water, chemical, waste, land and other pollutants.
Kabwe town, for hundred years, it has spelled wealth for mining companies. Ore veins with lead concentrations as high as 20 percent have been mined deep into the earth and a smelting operation was set up to process the ore. Rich deposits of sulphide ore consisted of silicates, oxides and carbonates of lead, which averaged 34 percent in lead concentration.
Recently a report by the New York-based Blacksmith Institute has rated Kabwe top-ten of a new list of the world’s worst polluted places due to very high lead concentrations left over from previous mining operations.
With such a report, Collins Chama, president of the Environmental Concerns Zambia, a non governmental organization sanitizing the community on the dangers of pollution in Kabwe, noted that such a situation is as a result of non regard for the environment prior to privatization programme.
But Environmental Council of Zambia senior communications officer noted that the report from the Blacksmith Institute had some exaggerations in its report.
‘In as far as there could be some degree of lead pollution in Kabwe, the report from the Blacksmith Institute had some exaggerations in it. If such levels prescribed in those reports are the ones to go by, children in Kabwe could have been ‘cabbages’, but levels of lead pollution in Kabwe are those that can be maintained and right now are a number of activities are taking place in Kabwe regarding containing the lead pollution levels’ He said.
He explained that though a study done by a consultant engaged by ZCCM-Investments holding brought out key issues of mental retardation especially in children. Planting of trees and grass, tarring of roads are just some of the many projects that are being worked on Kabwe so that lead cannot be in contact with people as it is found basically in soil.
When the privatization process finished the new owners of the Mines refused to take responsibility of the high degree of environmental degradation left by Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines.
Protecting public health safety, reducing or preventing environmental degradation and allowing productive utilization of land, either for pre-mining use, or other alternatives as copperbelt environmental project seeks to see will have far stretching socio-economic benefits for Zambia.
