OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING ON THE ... - IIED pubs

3.11.1.6 Human impacts on water resources (excluding mining)
The following could be expected to have an impact on water resources:
• Disposal of domestic and solid waste from towns and small communities;
• Disposal of domestic and solid waste from prospecting camps;
• Increased quantities of suspended solids washed into the rivers from cleared and eroded areas; and
• Minor non-point impact from sparse, subsistence agriculture throughout the sub-catchment.
3.11.2 Mining and mineral processing operations
See Figure 3.4 and Table 3.9. Major deposits of copper, cobalt and gold at Kansanshi are being evaluated for
their economic potential. Additional prospecting for copper and zinc is ongoing close to the junction of the
Lunga River with the Kafue River, shortly after the Busanga Swamps.
Table 3.9: Mining operations in the Lunga sub-catchment.
Code
Number
Name of Mine
Commodity (ies)
Mined
cxiii
Status
Relative
Size
Probable
Impact
Z-39 Lunga Basin Copper, Zinc Prospecting Small Low
Z-42a Solwezi Copper Prospecting Closed Medium
Z-42b Solwezi – Claims Copper Abandoned Small Low-Medium
Z-43a Kansanshi – old Copper, Cobalt, Gold Closed/Rehab Large Medium
Z-43b Kansanshi - new Copper, Cobalt, Gold Prospecting Large Low-Medium
Z-75 Dumbwa Uranium, Copper Prospecting Small Very low
Z-76 Lunga Gold, Copper Prospecting Small Very low
3.11.3 Alluvial mining
None known, though possible alluvial gold exploration downstream from Kansanshi.