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ZEMA has deferred the approval of KCM’s slag dump project because the mining giant has failed to provide information on radioactive materials associated with the project.
And the Zambia Environmental Management Agency has approved 43 projects, deferred 13 in mining and quarry-related projects and rejected two project proposals.
In a statement issued yesterday, ZEMA indicated that it could not approve Konkola Copper Mine’s proposed slag dump project because it did not address a number of environmental concerns.
ZEMA principal information and communications officer Irene Lungu stated that KCM had also failed to provide insight on how it would mitigate airborne sources of radioactive materials.
This means that the proposed KCM slag dump project, at tailings dump number two storage facility in Chingola, would only be considered for approval at some stage once it meets all the environmental requirements, according to Lungu.
“Reasons for deferment [of the KCM project] are that sources of radioactive material associated with the proposed project need to be stated. Specific information about the radiation monitoring programme, including the dose rates for radiation material contamination associated with the proposed project, needs to be provided,” ZEMA stated. “Adequate information about mitigation measures for the airborne sources of radioactive material contamination associated with the project is required.”
ZEMA has also deferred 11 other mining and quarry-related projects and one from the energy sector for various reasons ranging from the developers’ failure to submit resettlement action plans, lack of consultation with stakeholders or affected people in the project areas, among other reasons.
The two rejected project proposals were both in the energy sector which involved Total Zambia Limited that wanted to put up a service station on Great East Road, and Ngucha Energy Corporation which intended to build a service station on New Kasama Road in Lusaka.
ZEMA rejected Total’s proposal, saying it was situated only 700 metres away from an already existing service station, while Ngucha’s proposed project was said to be incompatible with the land use of the area which was mainly residential.
The approved projects across the country are in the agriculture, poultry, construction [urban development], tourism, health, mining, energy, manufacturing and processing sectors.
