Various geological surveys conducted on minerals in Ethiopia have shown that Ethiopia is rich in enormous amounts of mineral resources, industrial minerals, gold, coals and precious stones. However, the country did not properly utilize its natural resources for various reasons.
Ups and downs in the political system together with absence of proper skilled manpower have contributed its share for poor utilization of mineral resources.
Likewise, absence of law or guidelines that direct unskilled or traditional miners has negatively affected the mineral sector and impacted the local people who dwell around the mining site, the environment and the country in general.
On the other hand, due to Ethiopia’s high accumulation of various potential minerals, many investors are showing keen interests to engage in different mining process activities. Not surprisingly, the country is earning huge amount of foreign currency through the mining sector.
On June 2019, Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced that close to 38 million USD was invested in exploration and production of gold, marble, precious stones, iron whilst 67.6 million USD investments were directed to eleven petroleum exploration and production sharing and natural gas exploration.
Nevertheless, the sector is not progressing at the desired level. One of such factors could be absence of guideline on how to manage the mining process while protecting the environment.
Artisan miners have little understanding or almost unaware of laws governing the mining activities and the environment. Taking the impacts of artisanal mining on environment, which are mostly deforestation and land degradation, into account, the Ministry recently prepared a guideline that directs the artisanal miners on how to properly manage the environment during the mining process.
As to Henock Atnafe, Occupational Health and Safety Professional 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”.
The purpose of the guideline focuses on creating awareness on environmental management plan as well as guiding the miners on how to appropriately handle the environment during the mining process, as to him.
Moreover, the document aimed to support environmentally acceptable and sound management of artisanal Mining activities by providing concise and easily understandable information.
Henock 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, the guideline will support the country in terms of gaining positive benefits from artisanal mining while ensuring that any negative environmental, social and economic impacts are minimized or eliminated.
As inappropriate environment management negatively impacts the land as well as the society, managing and mitigating its impacts should be considered when planning, reviewing, permitting and managing mining projects.
Furthermore, an experience sharing “Mining and the Environment” regional seminar that aims to validate the proposed guideline with different stakeholders, develop a sustainable use of natural resource, and to secure safe living environment for future was also prepared.
Similarly, to further strengthen the idea related to artisan miners as well as other mining activities, discussion were made on artisanal mining challenges and solutions, mineral performance process, rehabilitation of artisanal mining sites, mining exploration license, and community development fund payment and administration with regional and city administration counterparts , according to him.
Researches recommend that the government should put in place follow ups to check environmentally friendly mining processes. Moreover, it should make efforts to harmonize forestry and mining laws to avoid conflicts of interest for sustainable management of forest and mineral resources.
Creating awareness of environment-friendly mining techniques, and providing technical assistance were also mentioned as the major areas that the government as well as stake should take part in.
The “Mining and the Environment” regional seminar that was financed by the Swedish government was prepared by the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) with support from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA) and Luleå University of Technology (LTU).
The Ethiopian Herald September 4, 2019
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
