By Chinoyi Chipulu
China Non Ferrous Metal Mining Company (CNMC) ‘s subsidiary, Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM) says the water being pumped from Shaft 28 into Nkulumashiba stream is certified by Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA).
In an interview with Daily Revelation yesterday, LCM corporate affairs manager Sydney Chileya said the company conducted internal water tests and held discharge certificates issued by the ZEMA and WARMA.
The mine was accused of releasing contaminated water into the stream by residents saying the water might contain harmful substances which might pose a health risk to both aquatic and human health.
The de-watering process of the mine started in May this year after President Hakainde Hichilema commissioned the exercise.
Chileya said the water being pumped out of shaft 28 to Nkulumashiba stream was not contaminated.
He said the pumps at the mines did not discharge water direct to the streams as they had stabilisation ponds where the water went for segmentation.
“It is not possible for us to pump out the water and discharge it arbitrary, we, ourselves are testing that water. First of all, we are not pumping that water into different streams, the water is just going into one stream and that is Nkulumashiba stream,” he said.
Chileya said the water was tested on a weekly basis and ZEMA conducted random tests.
“The water must meet certain standards before we pump it out. You have to look at the dissolved minerals that are in the water as per World Health Organization (WHO) standard. It’s a must for us to test that water. If you look at the way we have designed our pumps, water goes through ponds, then to our canal and later to the stream,” he said.
“We, ourselves cannot be the judge and the jury, ZEMA also comes to test the water randomly, because they are mandated to do that. And WARMA does their independent tests to look at the safety of the water which we are discharging in the water bodies,” said Chileya.
