Mines Deputy Minister Maxwell Mwale told parlaiment that the Government did not have any information of any resident whose health had been affected as a result of lead and could therefore not compensate any individual.
He however said that the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) had put in place stringent measures to ensure that pollution at Kabwe Lead Plant was minimised.
Mr Mwale said ZCCM-IH had sunk boreholes, improved domestic water supply in communities affected by lead, provided cover wastes so as to prevent evaporation and embarked on the distribution of food supplements to reduce lead levels in children.
Mr Mwale was responding to a question raised by Kantanshi MP Yamfwa Mukanga (PF) who wanted to know the measures taken to minimise pollution and whether there were plans to compensate residents whose health had been affected by pollution.
Kabwe once boasted one of the largest and richest lead mines in Africa, but it had few pollution controls. Since the closure of the mine in 1994,the town has endured not only economic hardship but also the risk of lead poisoning.
Kabwe’s vegetation, soil and waterways are heavily contaminated with the highly poisonous metal. High levels of lead poisoning effect the entire population, but are particularly high in the children of the area. Children in Kabwe have been found to have as much as 10 times the EPA’s allowable limit of lead in their blood. Lead poisoning symptoms occur in any one whose lead level is above 20, at 120 death can occur.
Children in the area who play in the mud and run off, and young adults who scavenge in the mines for left over bits of metal to sell, have been found with levels over 200.
ok
Where’s the justice?
there is no justice
fi tukeni pantu mwala fwa..abanenu ku kitwe naba zanda..
CENTA CENTA CENTA There are too many miners with SILICOSIS health problems because of their exposure to underground operations. And so they go without compensation???!!!!
#4 ONLY a handful in KITWE are on the streets. They want their allowances from PF
shame, still no justice
Thats a straight forward case.Nobody has complained of an illness which can be attributed to water poisoning
infact PF Sata and his kaponyas must compensate Zed for any infrastructure danage as result of their smoking chamba.I always tell these illiterate PF thugs to stop daka and kachasu.
some long term effects can not be detected now. the fellows who feel they are ok at the moment will start suffering after 10 t0 20 years from now.The govt was supposed to put examination centres. The effect of poison might not always be sudden. I pity them because they will be producing mentally or physically impaired children. In the abscence of scientific proof let us not conclude the issue
My eight year old daughter always shows malaria like symtoms when we visit Kabwe. On several occassions we have her testd for malaria but it comes neg. She becomes nausious and barely eats. I will endeavour to have her lead levels checked. Maybe Ill be the first to file for compensation.
A lady is undressing at the post office in Lusaka and the police officer has just picked her up.
My fellow bloggers,GRZ is complaining about millers increasing mealie meal, why can’t they talk to Tetamashimba who is also got a milling company in Mansa and send the O.P’s to investigate if is got enough maize, because he is also selling the same price like other millers, to avoid expense’s going round to millers just ask papamashimba he’s got the story for GRZ he is a spokes person for zambians.GRZ leave millers alone,you increased maize so that’s a big reason why MAZ has adjusted up mealie-meal.
Too bad for our brothers and sisters in Kabwe who are affected.It was not their wish to be victims.But it is situations like this one where our own hiegher learnining institutions like UNZA could do some research in order to save our brothers from such.But they are quick at going on strike.UNZA please do something.Do we still need foreign experts?
If you have google earth, go to kabwe and you will find data on the lead situation.
unrealistic Pf tragedy counselor #9….its Daga not Daka you Chipata boy…..environmental degradation and poisoning is not just in kabwe…go to kitwe and mufulira, chingola, where KCM is doing insitu mining (a method of pumping sulphuric acid down to disolve the ore and pump the liquid up into the smelter….iwe ka COUNSELOR, DO YOU SMELL LIFE THERE??????
“Lead poisoning symptoms occur in any one whose lead level is above 20” “at 120 death can occur”
“Children in the area who play in the mud and run off, and young adults who scavenge in the mines for left over bits of metal to sell, have been found –
with levels over 200”
do unto others, as you ‘d have loved them to do unto you. Put yourself in the poisoned people’s shoes, then you ‘d know if they deserve to be compensated!!!!!!!
What justice, you chaps have seen that there is lead poisoning in Kabwe why not Move out there is plenty of Land in Zambia but you want to stick to a gost town and be payed for it.
PABWATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
africans do not die from poisons but bullets. most intelegent people know that.so leave the grz alone.
BA PUSHI !!!!!! DO SOMETHING !!!!!!!!
Most of the African Govts have sold out their people to the perpetrators of world depopulation. That’s why their approach to issues is reactive and not proactive. They are under a strict command “Do not to see, Do not hear, Do not speak, Do not act” until you are told to do so. Why do you think even when the best brains are in leadership, things do not really work for the good of the general population. Only pockets of the seelect few benefit and they are always paraded in the media as a testimony to the good policies of so and so. They lead by the motto “In the darkness of their ignorance, lead them unto their own destruction”. And so we all get led to the slaughter house. Peace 2 All.
GOVT–I HAVE SAID I HAVE DIFFICULTIES IN TRUSTING YOU.
LONG TERM EFFECTS ARE NOT EASY TO DETECT,DO THE BEST FOR YOUR PEOPLE–NOT IGNORANTLY SAYING NO ONE HAS COMPLAINED–OTHERS MAY DIE WITHOUT KNOWING THAT IT IS LEAD–WAKE UP GRZ–COME ON THINK BEFORE YOU SALE YOUR PEOLE TO DEATH.
COMPULSARY TEST MANY PEOPLE AND GET THE EFFECTS IF ANY ON MY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF KABWE.
ZAMBIA IS FOR US ALL–LONG LIVE ZAMBIA–GOD BLESS OUR GREAT NATION WITH GREAT PEOPLE ZAMBIA.
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it” – Upton Sinclair
Instead of the govt denying that there has been no poisoning,they should send specialist teams to investigate this matter fully before it’s too late.People will not claim compensation if they dont know that their illnesses are as a result of poisoning coz most probably the hospitals will not carry out extensive tests,we all know that when someone goes to any hospital in Zambia,they will be dismissed as having malaria & when they lose alot of weight then they wil lbe suspected of being HIV+ & told to get lost.It’s high time things changed,come 2011 we need new leaders that will change the way govt operates.
Imwe a Mwale, if there was no poisoning, why is the Company sinking boreholes and taking up all these measures? It is a pit that Politicians, yourself included, are in the fore-front in Zambia to talk about things they are not literate of. Look at how other countries dealt with similar poisoning such as James Hardy involving Asbestos Victims and Lead Mining Company in Australia? Imwe mukadya cabe ka zali basi mwaleka kuganiza bwino. Cizaona iwe ka! Learn from Gladys Nyirongo iye anaona monga acenjera, manje ali kuti? Diwa la mmudzi lingagwele ali yense. Not sure of the meaning? Ask Mr Bix Chazingwa Mwale in Kasama
The Government must thoroughly investigate this issue. Its a Governments responsibility to ensure that all its citizens are healthy.Please Ba Mwale dont just sit back and say that you have not received any information make it a priority to investigate and solve the problem. MMD you have won the elections,party is over you need to deliver.
elo lwanya!
Nowadays before a Mine can be given a licence to operate they have to present and Enviromental Assessment report. This details all the hazards associated the the activity in question as well as litigating measures. In the litigating measure plans for mine closure are well established.
I do not know if the Colonial Masters had these in place at the time this mine was opened. If not then all the Govt can do is identify the hazards and inform members of the public to avoid the contaminated areas – just like in landmine areas. Now, if some scavengers go looking for left over lead metal to be sold on black market then we should all be sorry because they are choosing their own fate to die fast.
#19 ENGINES ulibe nzelu mwana
ur a DULLL chap. You make me wonder how you even have access to a PC
ok guyz l dontlove it as kitwe guyz do
aIVVEF comment1 ,
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