Mining activities suspended over environment concerns

EIGHT companies and cooperatives involved in mining activities around river Sebeya in the Western Province have been suspended over failure to respect environment protection rules.Stanislas Kamanzi, the Minister of Natural Resources, clarified yesterday that mining activities were not suspended in the whole of Western Province.The companies are from Ngororero, Rutsiro and Nyabihu districts.“Those suspended are located in the catchment area of river Sebeya. Suspension was prompted by grave violations of the environmental regulations by big and small mining entities,” Kamanzi said.The minister noted that the damage caused by mining activities had far-reaching consequences on the socio-economic livelihoods of the communities in the area.According to sources, the decision to suspend the mining was reached after the ministry found out that the activities in the area were posing a serious hazard to the river, which is a source of livelihood for the surrounding communities.The companies that were temporarily stopped have been mining mainly Wolfram and Coltan.“Mining activities will resume once all necessary measures have been taken to comply with the proper regulations,” Kamanzi stated.Dr Michael Biryabarema, the head of Mines and Geology at the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, said that mining activities that directly affect the livelihood of the population shouldn’t be allowed to continue.“We want those miners to devise measures that adhere to the regulations before they resume their operations in an efficient manner which is environmentally friendly.Rwanda produces about 8,000 to 9,000 tonnes of assorted mineral compounds every year but the revenue depends on the market dynamics. Last year, the mineral industry generated $158 million.

National

Mining activities suspended over environment concerns