Government plans to continue monitoring Vedanta Resources owned and country’s largest copper miner, Konkola Mine and other mining houses over pollution of the environment to ensure safety.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry of natural resources and tourism Ms Lillian Kapulu said it was government’s obligation to ensure that KCM and other mining houses were put under observation to deter them from polluting the environment as it has been the case in recent months where the Kafue River was polluted with copper effluent.
Speaking in Chingola when she visited KCM offices Ms Kapulu added that government will ensure mining firms adhere to the measures it has put in place to protect the environment from harmful substances. She said that Government, through the Environmental Council of Zambia will be monitoring KCM and other mines to ensure they don’t pollute the environment during their operations adding that they are concerned when the environment is polluted whether in the air, water bodies or land.
At the same occasion, KCM chief executive officer Mr Kishore Kumar said the mining giant spent over USD 40 million on the rehabilitation of old infrastructure in an effort to prevent pollution. The company replaced old liquor taps, older tailings pipelines and other old equipment aimed at controlling pollution.
The mining firm will remain committed to ensuring the approved guidelines on environmental protection are implemented. KCM will remain transparent in ensuring that it has the best programs to control mining waste, and will strive to meet statutory requirements for a safe environment and has demonstrated its actions on the ground.
According to Mr Kumar, KCM has invested USD 1.8 billion on the expansion and development of new infrastructure since 2004.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry of natural resources and tourism Ms Lillian Kapulu said it was government’s obligation to ensure that KCM and other mining houses were put under observation to deter them from polluting the environment as it has been the case in recent months where the Kafue River was polluted with copper effluent.
Speaking in Chingola when she visited KCM offices Ms Kapulu added that government will ensure mining firms adhere to the measures it has put in place to protect the environment from harmful substances. She said that Government, through the Environmental Council of Zambia will be monitoring KCM and other mines to ensure they don’t pollute the environment during their operations adding that they are concerned when the environment is polluted whether in the air, water bodies or land.
At the same occasion, KCM chief executive officer Mr Kishore Kumar said the mining giant spent over USD 40 million on the rehabilitation of old infrastructure in an effort to prevent pollution. The company replaced old liquor taps, older tailings pipelines and other old equipment aimed at controlling pollution.
The mining firm will remain committed to ensuring the approved guidelines on environmental protection are implemented. KCM will remain transparent in ensuring that it has the best programs to control mining waste, and will strive to meet statutory requirements for a safe environment and has demonstrated its actions on the ground.
According to Mr Kumar, KCM has invested USD 1.8 billion on the expansion and development of new infrastructure since 2004.
Officers from the Mines Safety Department, ECZ and Government officials on January 18 inspected various sites at KCM premises, which are prone to triggering pollution.
KCM has in recent months come under criticism for polluting the Kafue river, a source of water for more than 20,000 local people and surrounding mining towns, raising concern among key players including government which all have called for serious measures to avoid a repeat of the action.
And recently, a court in Zambia fined the miner USD 4,000 for polluting the Kafue River. However, KCM blamed the latest pollution of Kafue River to a power outage which led to the failure of the pumps at its tailings disposal site on the Copperbelt province. Immediately after the power outage, KCM closed down its concentrator and the Tailings Leach Plant as a precautionary measure. The matter was also reported to the Environmental Council of Zambia, the Mines Safety Department and local water utility firm.
The Environmental Council of Zambia recently said it is probing KCM to establish the source and cause of pollution to take appropriate action and prevent re-occurrences of such incidents in future.
KCM said separately that it would cooperate with the probe. KCM has in recent months come under criticism for polluting the Kafue river, a source of water for more than 20,000 local people and surrounding mining towns, raising concern among key players including government which all have called for serious measures to avoid a repeat of the action.
And recently, a court in Zambia fined the miner USD 4,000 for polluting the Kafue River. However, KCM blamed the latest pollution of Kafue River to a power outage which led to the failure of the pumps at its tailings disposal site on the Copperbelt province. Immediately after the power outage, KCM closed down its concentrator and the Tailings Leach Plant as a precautionary measure. The matter was also reported to the Environmental Council of Zambia, the Mines Safety Department and local water utility firm.
The Environmental Council of Zambia recently said it is probing KCM to establish the source and cause of pollution to take appropriate action and prevent re-occurrences of such incidents in future.
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