Mposha Raises Concerns Over Copperbelt Water Pollution by Mining Companies
By Tamara Muswala
Green Economy and Environment Minister, Mike Mposha, says the government is concerned with the pollution of water bodies on the Copperbelt by some mining companies.
Mr. Mposha has cautioned mining companies to take care of their storage facilities such as tailings dams.
He was speaking when he visited Mimbula Mine in Chingola, where walls of one of its emergency heap leaching ponds collapsed, polluting the Chabanyama stream.
Mimbula Mine Managing Director, Theo Sylver, said there has been significant improvement in the water quality in the Chabanyama stream following various cleanup interventions put in place by the mine.
Mr. Sylver said the company has so far spent over ten point three million kwacha in the cleanup exercise of the Chabanyama stream in Chingola.
And National Union of Miners and Allied Workers- NUMAW- President, SAUL SIMUJIKA has called for enhanced safety measures from mining companies and strict government regulations on the sector.
This follows the collapse of the Sino Metals Leach Tailings Dam on the Copperbelt, which polluted rivers and affected fields.
Mr. SIMUJIKA told ZNBC News that it is unacceptable for a company to operate in a manner that endangers the public.
And the Veterinary Association of Zambia -VAZ President, MALCOLM CHIYOBA said the Sino Metals incident has not only polluted water but also affected livestock.
