Vale in cornered over environmental hazards
Construction of the 204-km railway line from Mwanza to Nacala in Mozambique has come under fire over several issues such as environmental destruction and unfulfilled social responsibility promises.
Some traditional leaders, members of Parliament (MPs) and government workers on Friday queried Vale Logistics Limited—the firm responsible for the railway line—when it briefed stakeholders from Chikwawa, Neno, Mwanza, Balaka and Machinga on implementation progress of its environmental impact assessment.
Traditional Authority (T/A) Kanduku of Mwanza said the railway line’s construction has brought environmental hazards affecting agricultural output mainly for cotton, peas and citrus fruits.
“Production of many crops has gone down due to dust generated by movement of heavy vehicles within fields. While we appreciate the project benefits Malawians, people in surrounding areas are negatively affected,” he said.
Kanduku proposed that government re-negotiate with Vale to increase the scope of compensation to affected people given the unforeseen environmental damage.
Stakeholders, including MPs, also wondered how the company will fulfill development projects it promised with just four months to project completion.
According to Vale, it will finish construction December this year and start operating it in January 2015.
A representative of Mota-Engil, the company sub-contracted by Vale to construct the railway line, Susan Namangale, said her company will “engage an agriculture expert to check the linkage between the dusts and dwindling crop production.”
