By Collins Mtika
Communities living along the northern part of Lake Malawi in Karonga district have launched a spirited campaign to stop Uranium Miner Paladin Africa Limited from dumping toxic waste into Lake Malawi, saying the move will put people’s lives at risk and damage the environment.
They blame the company for deliberately dumping the waste into the Sere and Rukuru rivers, taking advantage of the country’s 34-year-old weak mining law and enforcement capabilities. The two rivers discharge into Lake Malawi.
Many people and livestock in rural Malawi rely on rivers and Lake Malawi for water and fish for consumption and commercial purposes.
“It is beyond reasonable doubt that there shall be escalated radiation exposure to the people of Karonga and most parts of Malawi since the river directly drains into Lake Malawi. It is a known fact that the sludge is comprised of waste uranium rocks, acids, and other chemicals used in the processing of the yellow cake.
“The sludge still contains 85% of the initial radioactivity of the ore. As a result, the sludge still contains 5% to 10% of the uranium initially present in the ore,” reads the statement signed by Paramount Chief Kyungu and 33 CSOs.
However, Paladin said it would treat the liquid waste to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) drinking water guidelines for uranium, “which is 30 micrograms per litre.”
The Malawi government awarded a license to mine uranium at Kayelekera to Paladin Africa Limited (PAL), an Australian and Canadian registered company, in April 2007. The Mines and Minerals Act (1981), enacted during the reign of former President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, has several deficiencies.
For instance, it vests the power in the President to grant mining licences with no consultation required with other stakeholders; it allows mining companies to operate by bilateral negotiations rather than consistent application of the law, which means some companies may get special favours.
It is also devoid of measures to protect people displaced by mining and has no health and safety regulations for specific mineral extractions, such as uranium.
But the Malawi government, which holds a 15 percent stake in the Kayelekera Uranium Mine, situated about 600 km from the capital Lilongwe, has already given the company the go-ahead.
The government awarded Paladin a licence on July 30th 2014 to discharge the waste during the next two or three wet seasons, depending on how long the mine remains on ‘care and maintenance.’
In February 2014, PAL suspended operations and put the mine on what it called ‘care and maintenance’. It also laid off the bulk of its employees, about 300 people.
The company cited the declining price of uranium on the global market in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011.
However, in its quarterly activities report dated December 31, 2014, it states that it has started a feasibility study to develop a detailed plan for the recommencement of production at Kayelekera when uranium prices justify.
“Operations will be restarted once the uranium oxide prices increase to over USD 75/lb and the mine is connected to the national electricity grid. When these conditions are met, it will take six to nine months to restart mine production, and USD 60 million will be required to bring the mine back online,” said WalkerParamount.
Kyungu has asked the government to deport the company’s General Manager for International Affairs, Greg Walker, accusing him of blatantly disregarding the country’s mining legislation for his company’s benefit.
“He is arrogant and inhuman, and his company does not comply with environmental and safety standards at the mine,” Kyungu told the Mail and Guardian last week.
Kyungu even threatened that he will forcefully ‘deport’ Walker from the country if the government fails to do so.
However, Walker did not respond to these allegations despite several emails.
The company denies the allegations, saying the dam where the liquid toxic waste is stored spilled some of its contents into the Sere and north Rukuru rivers due to heavy rains.
“On 5 January, there has been some “minor storm damage” at the mine. A 20-minute, high-intensity storm resulted in some 25mm of rain falling at the site. Up to 0.05 cubic metres (50 litres) may have overtopped into the local river system,” Walker said.
Paladin also contends that the water in the two rivers has had elevated levels of uranium even before they started operations at Kayelekera.
“An extensive data set collected since 2006 shows that there are naturally occurring uranium levels in the Sere River that have ranged up to 1.76 mg/liter,” the company’s Group Principal Hydrogeologist David Holmes disclosed.
Holmes also disclosed that a section of the processing plant at the mine has been modified to enable it to treat waste to remove contaminants prior to release in line with national and international standards.
He said laboratory tests done in March 2014 produced favourable results, including the removal of uranium.
“In July, a full-scale water treatment plant was set up,” Holmes said
Minister of Natural Resources, Energy, and Mining Atupele Muluzi said the government is launching an international investigation to ensure that the mining project has not become a threat to people’s lives.
“This is a people’s government, and people’s welfare is our priority. We will fast-track the investigations, publicise the results, and ensure that Paladin takes full responsibility if it’s in the wrong,” Muluzi said.
Three weeks ago, local fishermen started scooping loads of dead fish in the areas where the two rivers discharge into Lake Malawi.
However, four government agencies, in a joint press statement, said they would be launching another investigation to determine what is causing the death of fish.
They hinted that the fish might have died of a natural phenomenon that deprived the waters of oxygen.
In 2013, Paladin disclosed that it had a S$10 million Environmental Performance Bond with two commercial banks in Malawi to, among other things, cater for rehabilitation costs for signs of default during and after mine life.
The bond, in the form of irrevocable letters of credit, will deal with issues like water and environmental contamination and the eventual cleanup.
