North-western Province Minister Richard Kapita has expressed great concern over the alleged poor environmental conditions at Jifumpa underground copper mine in Kasempa district.
Mr. Kapita was displeased with the manner the mine is disposing off effluent from the mine. The effluent has caused physical environmental pollution in the area.
He said when he visited the mine following numerous complaints from members of the public on the mine’s alleged none compliance to environmental and safety rules.
Mr. Kapita said he will summon the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) to explain why the agency has allowed the mine to continue operating in such poor environmental conditions.
He said Jifumpa mine management should also explain why certain things and conditions that are supposed to safeguard employees are not in place.
He was accompanied by Kasempa Member of Parliament (MP) Brenda Tambatamba and members of the provincial and district joint operations committee.
Meanwhile, Ms. Tambatamba commended the minister for visiting the mine saying such an initiative will help address most concerns which local people have been raising in the past two years.
She said there is no amount of wealth from the mine that can be worth the lives of the workers and the host communities.
Ms. Tambatamba alleged that the mine was not complying with the mining act in terms of environmental management, safety management, labour conditions and corporate social responsibility.
She said she will invite ZEMA safety department and the Minister of Mines to visit the area so that critical issues are addressed.
The MP said there was need to ensure that the mine operators are made to account on managing the environment, labour conditions and the safety of workers.
Ms. Tambatamba assured to work with government to ensure that the mine operators comply with the law by having social, safety and environmental management plans in place.
Jifumpa mine is operated by Luida, a Kitwe based Chinese company with a workforce of 250 Zambians and about 40 foreign nationals.
So has this problem abruptly surfaced or has it
been brewing for a long time just like cholera?
This finding should not be celebrated at all… it is a warning that we need to be on our heels on every single fabric of our economy.
Zambia please!
Very good Mr. Kapita take ZEMA to task.
Everywhere in the world, the Environmental Agencies are the first one to make noise about pollution, there in Zambia, because you do things differently, ZEMA is dormant, nabashipula !!!
The laws already exist for such crimes, why even waste more time. ZEMA should have been on the ground already. But as usual, let’s politicise the situation before the Professionals come.
Don’t just complain. You are the government. Fine them ban them due them close the mine
Sue them
How do u sue or close a Chinese mine, face reality, they controll us