
Ministra da Terra e Ambiente (MTA), Ivete Maibaze,
Maputo, 10 Sept (AIM) – The Indian mining company Vulcan has exceeded “the limits of pollution”, and has not observed environmental quality standards, the Mozambican Minister of Land and Environment, Ivete Maibaze, accused on Monday.
Vulcan operates a gigantic open cast coal mine, in Moatize in the central province of Tete. Huge clouds of coal dust spew out of the mine regularly, quite obvious to the naked eye, and presenting a clear threat to the health of the mineworkers and of local residents.
The explosives used by Vulcan are also accused of damaging houses in Moatize.
Cited by the independent television station STV, Maibaze said a team has been set up to assess compliance, or the lack of it, with Vulcan’s environmental management plan after complaints from local residents in August.
A letter from the residents to the company said its mining practices are in violation of human rights.
The Minister seems to agree. She told STV that the explosions used in the mine do not observe environmental standards.
The team set up to investigate Vulcan, she said, has requested all the documentation concerning the environmental management plan, which is the key instrument that should govern the operations of the mine.
The team will bring preliminary result from Moatize, which will then be assessed by the Ministry of Land and Environment.
Maibaze did not say what steps the government will take, if it is found that Vulcan is indeed in violation of the country’s environmental legislation.
In August, Vulcan, in an interview with the Portuguese news agency Lusa claimed it has a policy of “zero damage to the environment”. However, film of the clouds of coal dust hanging over Moatize shows that this cannot possibly be true.
Vulcan President Mukesh Kumar claimed “all our installations were equipped with the most modern equipment and technologies available”.
He admitted that at times the systems might fail “and so we have to take precautions” he claimed the company is fully committed “to guarantee that nobody in the community suffers”.
(AIM)
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