BARRICK LUMWANA ACTS ON URANIUM CONTAMINATION

BARRICK Lumwana Mine General manager Herbert Cawood says management has put in controls to ensure the uranium contamination that has happened will never reoccur by changing the source of supply.

Elevated Uranium levels were recently detected in drinking water at the Chimiwungo IPS Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in Lumwana.

The situation forced workers and their families to use bottled water as a result of the elevated uranium levels in the water.

But Mr. Cawood has said infrastructure had been established to allow for water to be supplied from the township’s main water treatment plant.

He said the main plant now supplied the township, administration offices, Barrack/Drillers, Process Plant, HIA, and now Chimiwungo and Malundwe IPS.

“This means employees within these locations are drinking water from the same source. Therefore, as of Tuesday, February 20, 2024, the provision of bottled water as an alternative will be discontinued and drinking water will be supplied from the township water treatment plant,” he said.

He assured the residents that their health and well-being remained his firm’s top priority.

“If you have any concerns or questions regarding the resumption of the potable water supply, please, do not hesitate to contact me. We greatly appreciate your patience and cooperation during this period,” he said.

But Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee Emmanuel Mwamba has challenged Lumwana to explain to the Zambians what it was doing with the mineral by indicating whether the firm had also started exporting it. 

Mr. Mwamba wondered if Lumwana had declared it as part of the declared exports because the mineral was being extracted at the Lumwana Mine as a by-product of its copper mining operations.

“Before we talk about uranium poisoning, what are they doing with it? Is it part of the declared exports?” Mr Mwamba said.