The Post reports that Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) will continue to monitor operations at Mopani Copper Mines' (MCM) refinery in Mufulira, and that the company has purchased new pumps to replace those that caused the leaks last week. Nonetheless, local residents are heavily critical of the ECZ for failing to tackle MCM and local MP Percy Chanda has threatened to start legal proceedings against MCM for “trivialising” the pollution.
Meanwhile, The Post also reports that the Chinese firm Non-Ferrous Construction Africa (NFCA) Mining plc, owners of the Chambishi Mine, will spend $70,000 a year for environmental mitigation and management plans as well as developing and implementing a decommissioning, rehabilitation and closure plan at a total cost of US $11,790,000. Although The Post report reads like a good news story of 'corporate social responsibility', these requirements of the companies' Environmental Management Plan (EMP), should have been agreed by the company many years ago. Before finalising the plan, NFC-A was in breach of one of the major commitment of its Development Agreement, and was allowed to operate that was as a result of the failure of ECZ to effectively regulate the management at Chambishi.
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