By 
A team of Ministers and government officials are appalled by the blatant disregard for environmental regulations displayed by Rongxing mineral Processing Plant in Kalulushi, Copperbelt.
Water and Sanitation Minister Collins Nzovu and Copperbelt Minister, Elisha Matambo, recommended for the temporal closure of the facility.
During an impromptu inspection in Saturday by the two Ministers and government agencies, it revealed egregious leakages from tailing dams and affluent polluting nearby streams.
Speaking during a media briefing at Rongxing premises, Nzovu ordered for halting of operations and demanded immediate action to address crisis.
He instructed officials from Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) and Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) to work overnight to ensure the leakage was stopped.
“Let this serve as a warning to all investors and government officials: we will not tolerate environmental impunity,” Nzovu said.
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He urged regulatory agencies, such as ZEMA and WARMA that they would be held accountable for failure to enforce the law.
“Non-compliance will result in severe penalties, prosecution, and imprisonment,” Nzovu said.
“The health of our citizens and the sustainability of our environment are non-negotiable and we will intensify monitoring and inspections of all mining facilities to prevent such atrocities.”
He said there was need for stakeholders to work together to protect Zambia’s natural resources and ensure a prosperous future for generations to come.
Matambo said he was disappointed that Zambians working for foreign investors were not showing patriotism for not leading the way to ensure that environmental protection was prioritised.
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