IDLE TAILING DAMS OWNERS WARNED

is saddened that most of the tailing dams have remained idle for a long time as licence holders have failed to comply with the conditions of grant.

A tailing dam is an earth-fill embankment used to store by-products of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue.

Mines and Mineral Development Permanent Secretary Paul Chanda said some of the licences have been idle for over five years, thereby posing a danger to the environment and communities.

He was speaking in Kitwe at the weekend.

Mr Chanda said such delays were detrimental to development and was depriving the Government of revenue as well as the community of the social economic benefits.

"At the time of privatization of the mines, Government assigned ZCCM- Investment Holdings to manage and maintain the dams, but when the facilities were licenced, the responsibility of maintaining the dams shifted to the licence holders.

"I can say that government regrets that most of the tailing dam facilities have remained idle for a long time as license holders have failed to comply with the conditions of grant,'' Mr Chanda said.

Mr Chanda has called for environmental stewardship among mine licence holders, particularly for sensitive operations. He said environmental stewardship was cardinal in reducing the negative impact on the environment and also managing risks associated with safety of surrounding community.

"In accordance with the conditions of grant, licence holders should conduct on environmental impact social Assessment, feasibility and engineering study to guide the proposed exploitation of the mineral resources,'' he said.

And the Zambia Mining Environmental Remediation and Improvement Project (ZMERIP) under the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development was set to roll out staffing of key personnel to provide impetus to the implementation of the project.