ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced that guideline that direct artisan miners on how to properly manage the environment during the mining process is developed.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, Henok Atnafe, Occupational Health and Safety Professional at the Ministry noted that the contents of the guidelines are believed to be instrumental in lessening environmental risks while processing mining activities. Mal practices in the sector could lead miners producing low quality minerals by exposing to high risks of damaging the ecology as well as the livelihood of communities around the site and beyond, he said.
As to him, the purpose of developing guideline is to increase productivity through engaging pertinent stakes on awareness creation on Environmental management plan. The guidelines let Artisanal miners to manage and handle environment risk appropriately during mining process. Moreover, the document aimed to support environmentally acceptable and sound management of Artisanal Mining activities by providing concise and easily understandable information, he added.
Henok said: “The Artisanal mining license holders are not forced by law to submit Environmental Impact Assessment document or related environmental management plans as a prerequisite for license issuance. Their mining situation is at the grassroots level which does not consider the proclamations or any regulation of environmental issues. Therefore, the damage to the environment is evident and significant.”
Accordingly, he further noted that the guideline will support the nation to capture the positive benefits of Artisanal mining while ensuring that any negative environmental, social and economic impacts are minimized or eliminated. The guidelines could play positive impact in supporting nation to produce minerals with high quality and quantity values and do away mal practices at early stages at the sites. At the same time, it creates platform to create informed Artisanal miners willingly deal with minimizing and eliminating any negative environmental, social and economic impacts, according to him.
He stressed that as inappropriate environment management practices could impacts environs negatively as well as the society, managing and mitigating its impacts at early stage of planning, reviewing, permitting and managing mining projects should be considered. Furthermore, an experience sharing of regional seminar that aims to validate the proposed guideline with different stakeholders to develop a sustainable use of natural resource and to secure safe living environment scheduled for the next day.
He noted that the seminar set to go through discussion on Nation’s Artisanal mining challenges and solutions, mineral performance process challenges and way forward, Rehabilitation of Artisanal mining sites and mining exploration license community development fund payment and administration on the consultative meeting with Regional and City administration counterparts at the Ministry.
The guideline was prepared based on the gained knowledge from the International Training program in Sweden called “Mine water and Mine waste Management”, as to him.
It was learnt that the regional seminar on mining and the environment is prepared by the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) with support from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA) and Luleå University of Technology (LTU). This event is financed by Sweden government and Swedish international development cooperation agency (Sida).
The Ethiopian Herald, August 21/2019
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
