Socialist Party Copperbelt Vice Chairman and Spokesperson Reagan Kashinga says the Government through Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) must take responsibility over the pollution of the Mwambashi Stream and Kafue River by Sino Metals Mine of Chambishi in Kalulushi.
And Mr. Kashinga has proposed that the people whose farming fields were destroyed by acidic effluent from Sino Metals be given life long compensation because the Kalusale environment will no support farming any time soon.
The pollution incident involving acidic effluent from Sino Metals tailings dam which burst last Tuesday destroyed crops from several farming fields belonging to peasant farmers and later contaminated the Mwambashi Stream and the Kafue River.
Mr. Kashinga said the pollution which has resulted in a critical water shortage in Kitwe and Kalulushi would have been avoided had ZEMA not approved substandard tailings dams being used by the mines in Chambishi.
He challenged the Ministry of Green Economy and ZEMA to explain why it was approving poorly built tailings dams which mining firms are using to store acidic liquids from copper ore processing.
“It is not common to see a well constructed tailings dam burst like it happened at Sino Metals in Chambishi.Therefore, the UPND Government through the Ministry of Green Economy and the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) must take the blame and responsibility over this pollution. We are aware that ZEMA officers have been approving poorly constructed tailings dams in Chambishi that do not have recommended two layer-systems,” Mr. Kashinga said.
“We challenge the Government through the Ministry of Green Economy and ZEMA to explain to the people of Zambia how the use of the poorly constructed Tailings Dam at Sino Metal was approved. The Chambishi pollution is as a result of negligence on the part of the Government and we can predict more pollution if ZEMA continues approving poorly constructed Tailings Dams in Chambishi and beyond. We are aware that there is another mine near NAMBOARD in Chambishi that is using unfit -Tailings Dam,” Mr. Kashinga said.
He urged the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) to quickly provide food and water to the people of Kalusale in Chambishi who have been badly affected by pollution from Sino Metals.
“The Chambishi Pollution, is a disaster that needs urgent action from the Government to mitigate its impact on the people of Kalulushi and Kitwe who have had their sources of water contaminated with acidic mine effluent. Before we can even talk about compensation for the peasant farmers in Kalusale, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) must come in quickly to provide food and water to the people of Kalusale, who are badly affected after their maize, groundnuts and vegetable fields were destroyed by the acidic pollutants. On Compensation the people of Kalusale need lifelong compensation from Sino Metals because their farming area will not support agriculture anymore following the destruction of the soil by acid,” Mr. Kashinga said.
“As Socialist Party in the Copperbelt Province we say that it is impossible to reverse the adverse impact of this pollution incident, therefore we remind the people of Zambia to be mindful of the type of leaders they vote for. Every well meaning Zambian can see now that there are more problems in Zambia than good things under this outgoing regime,” he said.
