The Copperbelt Environment Project (CEP) is to spend over $1.3 million to dispose 40,000 metric tonnes of uranium tailings dumped at TD 11 and TD 13 in Kitwe’s Mindolo Mine Township.
CEP Communications Speciality Mumbuna Kufekisa told ZANIS in an Interview in Kitwe today that CEP, in conjuction with ZCCM- Investment Holdings, has decided to dispose of the uranium tailings dumped at TD 11 and TD 13 from mining activities in the 1960s as they were a health and environmental hazard.
Mr Kufekisa said the uranium would be taken for storage where they would be buried in a disposal cell and covered with laterite and vegetation at a Mopani Copper Mines dump site.
He disclosed that the exercise, which was being undertaken by Copperfield Mining, would be done over a period of four months and at a cost of $1.3 million.
He further dislcosed that a new road had also been constructed by the project in the mine area which would be used by the local residents even after the exercise.
A public disclosure meeting with Armco residents has since been held on the movement of the uranium tailings dump in Kitwe to a deposal site at Mopani Copper Mines dump.
He added that the community in Mindolo’s Armco compound had been sensitised about the programme and what to expect and avoid increase of spillage.
ZANIS
Numero 1!!! keep on dumping
Uranium radiation potency has detrimental cytotoxic deposits and not safe to humans…needs expertise for their disposal…please exercise extra caution …
Where are they taking this Uranium? Can I have some?
better handle that thing well coz that sh..t is dangerous
What grade is this uranium? Can’t we sell this to countries that have nuclear power plants and make a little money? Okay, not North Korea and Iran!
Kindly tell the all story of the uranium saga and how KK and his cronies made money from pretending to be mining copper. Now innocent people are suffering cos of greed. We should learn to talk openly in Zambia and not block certain aspects of history.
They must have used the leaching method of uranium extraction. In that case the toxicty should be coming from cyanide which is used in the extraction. I wonder what the public is not being told about this contamination. As far as I know uranium tailings per se should not pose any serious problems from radio-toxicity. Important lessons need to be lent from this experience and that is why Zambians themselves need to play a key role in mining activities technologically.