Civil society grouping in Mufulira on the Copperbelt hasadded its voice to calls for the urgent resettlement of residents living near the local Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) in the wake of increasing pollution levels from the smelter upgrade plant.
The Development Education Community Project (DECOP) says it has undertaken a study
in partnership with the Netherlands Institute of Southern Africa which has revealed
that the levels of toxic emissions being released into the atmosphere had tripled.
DECOP Executive Director, Edward Lange, said this in an interview with ZANIS in
Mufulira today.
The concerns from the civil society grouping comes barely a day after area Kankoyo
opposition Member of Parliament Percy Chanda has disclosed his intention to drag MCM
to the Ndola High court for the unfriendly and hazardous mining activities by the
mining giant.
Mr. Lange says as a matter of urgency the local authority should consider resettling
residents in Kankoyo and part of Butondo townships, just like it had done to residents of the former and condemned Zambia Railways compound.
He said other than causing serious damage to the surrounding environment in the two
areas, the emission of suplur dioxide to surrounding houses had far-reaching health
consequences on residents.
Mr. Lange wondered why Mopani had failed to work towards reducing the emission of
effluents into the atmosphere despite installing modern equipment at its plant to avert the problem.
He has also called on the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) to close Mopani and
avail government a lucid report on the dangerous mining activities in the area had actually caused to residents and the surrounding environment.
Mr. Lange wondered why the local mine was not doing anything to safe-guard tailing
dams and other liabilities left behind by the defunct ZCCM.
He said some residents of Kankoyo and Butondo had taken advantage of the scenario
and were now encroaching on the dams in a bid to find copper ore which they later
resold to desperate traders.
He said it was against this back ground that government and Mopani should seriously
consider resettling the residents in the mining townships.
SAGE, my brother, do you remember in one of our discussion fora about our centa and what you to any investor who fails to take care of the environment?This is the way to go, Percy chanda is one of the bold MPs Zambia needs who put the interests of his electorates first before turning to the bottom line of these companies.Chambishi MP must take a leaf from Percy and do the same against the Chamishi zone owners who discharges the acid effluent anywhere, anytime they feel like.
All environmental friendly Zambians needs to support Honourable Percy Chanda.He knows what it means to be in Kankoyo he was a miner and had stayed in Orchard
Trouble is the ECZ is an Incompetent body led by an Director. Until the ECZ has a competent Director,poluters will continue to have a field day.
Sorry, I meant an incompetent Director!