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

• Increased quantities of suspended solids washed into the rivers from cleared, cultivated and eroded areas;
• Seepage of oils, fuels and industrial chemicals from roadways and industrial sites into the local ground
water and nearby streams; and
• Minor non-point impact from sparse, subsistence agriculture throughout the rest of the sub-catchment.
3.12.2 Mining and mineral processing operations
See Figure 3.4 and Table 3.10. Major deposits of copper and cobalt have been exploited for several years by
both open pit and underground mining methods. There is a large copper smelter at the Nkana Operation in
Kitwe – this facility is in serious need of upgrading as it has an extremely poor performance in terms of sulphur
capture. The Chambishi cobalt Refinery processes ores from other mines as well as the spent slag from the
Nkana Mine in Kitwe. Most of the mines are large to very large. Open pit emerald mining takes place at
several pegmatites in the southern part of the Copperbelt.
Table 3.10: Mining operations in the Upper Kafue sub-catchment.
Code
Number
Name of Mine
Commodity (ies)
Mined
cxvii
Status
Relative
Size
Probable
Impact
Z-44 Konkola Copper, Cobalt Operating Very Large High
Z-45a Nchanga-open pit Copper, Cobalt Closed Very Large High (residual)
Z-45b Nchanga-deep Copper, Cobalt Operating Very large High
Z-46a Chambishi Copper, Cobalt Re-opening Large Medium-High
Z-46b Chambishi-COSAC Cobalt (smelter) + Cu Operating Large Medium-High
Z-47a Chibuluma Copper Closed/Rehab Large High
Z-47b Chibuluma South Copper Startup Large Medium
Z-48a Mufulira – Main Copper, Cobalt Operating Large High
Z-48b Mufulira – Mokambo Copper Closed Medium Medium
Z-49a Nkana Copper, Cobalt Operating Very Large High
Z-49b Nkana – Slag pile Cobalt, Copper Operating Large Medium – High
Z-50a Luanshya Copper Operating Large High
Z-50b Baluba Copper Operating Large Medium-High
Z-51 Bwana Mkubwa Copper Dump reclaim Medium Low
Z-52 Ndola Lime Limestone Operating Large Medium
Z-53a Ndola Rural Emerald Operating Small Low-Medium
Z-53b Ndola Rural Claims Emerald Abandoned Artisan (few) Very low - Low
Z-56 Mwekera Copper Prospecting Medium Low
Z-57 Bob Zinc Zinc Prospecting Medium Low
Z-62 Kabwe Division Zinc, Lead, Silver Prospecting Medium Low
Z-65 Pirala Emerald Operating Small Low