Miners asked to adhere to rules

Chitipa district forestry officer Sitwell Banda has appealed to mining investors in the district to adhere to social and environmental safeguards when conducting mining activities.

He said this on Saturday during a District Environmental Sub Committee Meeting where a Malawian-owned firm, Gamba Mining Company, was briefing the committee on coal mining the company intends to venture into in Gamba area in Traditional Authority Nthalire in the district.

Banda said the mining sector is among the key drivers of the country’s economic growth as well as for the people of Chitipa.

He said that it was becoming evident that a lot of investors have ventured into the sector, which he said was good for the country’s economic growth.

Said Banda: “We urge mining investors in the district to strictly follow the social and environmental safeguards.

“Wherever mining activities are being done, issues of environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity and social interruption are always rampant if mitigation measures are not followed.”

Banda then asked the company and other investors to share the final copy of the environmental and social management plan for easy monitoring of mitigation measures.

TDJ Investment environmental officer Dhliwayo Jere, whose organisation is consulting on behalf of Gamba Mining Company, assured the district council that once the environmental and social management plan is out they will share it.

He said the mining company will produce 90 to 150 tonnes of coal per week.

Said Jere: “The company will employ a minimum of 90 people with 60 percent men and 40 percent women representation.

“The project will cover 933 hectares with a timeframe of not less than five years.”

Mining has been identified as one of the key priority sectors for the country’s economic growth