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

Z-79 Sakania Gold, Copper Abandoned Small Very low
Z-80 Hippo Copper Prospecting Small Very low
Z-81 Silver King Copper, Silver Prospecting Medium Very low
Z-82 Sable Antelope Copper, Gold Prospecting Medium Very low
3.12.3 Alluvial mining
None known.
3.12.4 Monitoring systems
Regular water quality monitoring is carried out at points both upstream and downstream of major tailings dams
and effluent discharge points on the Kafue River. Zambian and Swedish researchers have undertaken
extremely detailed investigations of tailings geochemistry and water quality associated with the mines near
Kitwe and Chingola (Petterson & Ingri, 1993; 2000a, 2000b; Mwale, 1994; Mwase, 1994; Nkandu, 1996;
Norrgren et al., 2000).
3.12.5 Water quality data
Some published water quality data is available from the publications of Petterson & Ingri (1993, 2000a, 2000b;
Table 3.11). These workers have shown that the acid mine drainage emanating from the Copperbelt mines is
largely neutralized by the carbonate-rich rocks and sediments of local geological formations. As a result, the
concentrations of dissolved copper and cobalt in the Kafue River are extremely low, though larger quantities
are present as suspended (adsorbed) material. In the past, this suspended copper has been implicated in the
death of cattle that drank from the Mwambashi River (Figure 3.15; Mwale, 1994; Petterson & Ingri, 2000a,
2000b).
Table 3.11: Analyses of water quality (dissolved substances) at three sites in the Kafue River, from upstream of
Chingola (Fischer’s Farm), 20 km downstream of Kitwe (Raglan’s Farm) and 100 km downstream of the
Zambian Copperbelt (Machiya Ferry). Data provided are averages of monthly samples collected between
March 1995 and April 1996; all data units are given in microgrammes per litre (µg/litre) (Pettersson & Ingri,
2000a, 2000b).
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