Zambia working to tighten mining environment regulation

Director of Mine Safety Department (MSD) Chief Inspector Machinery Brighton Kateka says the process of fine tuning the mines and environmental regulations has reached an advanced stage.

” We are in the process of revising the mines and minerals regulations and so far, stakeholders’ consultations have been done waiting for fine tuning and enactment,” Kateka told delegates during the Swedish-Zambia forum on Sustainable Mining in Kitwe on Wednesday.

He said various mining houses including some traditional leaders were consulted to ensure that all stakeholders were involved in the process.

Kateka stressed that doing so would help in addressing mining environmental issues being faced in the country as the new regulation would help strengthen the institutional capacity of MSD.

“We are also looking at developing or strengthening the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) through the development of new rules about the EPF,” he stated.

Kateka recalled how, when the mines changed hands during privatization, most of them, if not all, did not want to inherit environmental liabilities.

“So, the government started shouldering those liabilities and “We ended up having to go and borrow money, we ended up going and getting help from the World Bank,” he said.

Kateka disclosed that officers had to go around in effort to sanitize various mines in preparation for the incoming environmental protection regulations.

“We are happy that with the help of the Minister and the Permanent Secretary, we have increased the number of officers who are directly looking at the environmental aspect of mining and going up to having chief inspector of environmental protection to help in environmental governance and sustainability,” he said.

Kateka also noted that the introduction of a mineral and mining commission would also help in reaching out to various mines as the agency would have the mandate to look after the welfare of staff.

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