Waste from Angola’s Catoca diamond mine leaked into waterways last month

Moderators: PinkDiamond, John

Post Reply
User avatar
PinkDiamond
Posts: 15408
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:30 pm
Location: Ozark Mountains

Waste from Angola’s Catoca diamond mine leaked into waterways last month

Post by PinkDiamond »

Ohhhhh noooo ... this is not good for the mining industry's reputation, although they finally got it sealed; at least for now. :o

Waste from Angola’s Catoca diamond mine leaked into waterways last month
Reuters | August 23, 2021 | 9:21 am Top Companies Africa Diamond

Image
Credit: Catoca Mining Company

"Waste material from Angola’s biggest diamond mine leaked into a river last month, filling waterways with sediment before the breach was sealed, Sociedade Mineira de Catoca (Catoca Mining Company) said in a statement seen by Reuters on Monday.

Congolese researchers on Friday said pollution caused by a leak from a tailings dam, used to store waste mining material, had turned rivers red and caused fish to die in Congo’s southern Kasai province.

The researchers did not link the pollution to a specific mine.

Catoca said in a statement, dated Aug. 9 and seen by Reuters on Monday, that tailings were seen to have leaked into the Lova river on July 27 following a rupture in a spillway for the mine waste dam.

The company said it immediately sought to repair it, built two dykes to filter sediment out of the water and by Aug. 9 the breach was sealed.

It said it would provide local residents with baskets of basic goods to mitigate the impact of the leak on waterways.

The company’s website does not include any information on the tailings dam leak.

Catoca, a joint venture of Russian state-controlled diamond producer Alrosa and Angolan state diamond company Endiama, is one of the biggest diamond mines in the world and Angola’s top diamond producer, responsible for around ... "

https://www.mining.com/web/waste-from-a ... last-month
PinkDiamond
ISG Registered Gemologist


· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ There are miracles left for you to do .... -:¦:- -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* It all begins inside of you. ;)
User avatar
SwordfishMining
Posts: 4216
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2015 3:06 pm
Location: Denio, NV USA
Contact:

Re: Waste from Angola’s Catoca diamond mine leaked into waterways last month

Post by SwordfishMining »

Everybody gangs up on the west for colonization, but really?
I'll jump over my shadow. https://www.virginvalleyopal.com"
Opals & more at my ESTY store https://swordfishmining.etsy.com"
User avatar
PinkDiamond
Posts: 15408
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:30 pm
Location: Ozark Mountains

Re: Waste from Angola’s Catoca diamond mine leaked into waterways last month

Post by PinkDiamond »

Here's more on this leak, which is an ongoing tragedy that should never have happened. My heart goes out to these people, and we can only hope the owners of the mine can clean up this mess. There's a short video clip at the beginning of the article that shows the polluted red water. Lord help these people! :?

Congo says Angola tailings pollution kills 12, to seek compensation
By Hereward Holland and Helen Reid

"KINSHASA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo will seek compensation from the owners of an Angolan diamond mine after a tailings dam leak polluted drinking water, causing 12 deaths and making thousands of people ill, the country's environment minister said on Thursday.

The late-July leak from Angola's biggest diamond mine turned a tributary of the Congo River red following a rupture in a spillway for the mine's tailings dam, which stores mining industry waste meant to stay undisturbed.

Researchers at Kinshasha University last month pointed to "huge pollution" that affected some 2 million people, killed fish and caused diarrhoea among river communities. read more

Congo, which shares a 1,600-mile (2,575 km) long border with Angola, will seek compensation in line with the "polluter pays" principle, where those who produce pollution should bear the cost of mitigating it, Eve Bazaiba told a media conference after visiting the country's southern Kasai province.

Bazaiba said she could not yet say how much in damages the country could seek. She said 4,400 people had fallen ill.

The mine's operator, Sociedade Mineira de Catoca, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the damages claim and deaths listed by the minister.

The leak and deaths represent the latest in a string of tailings disasters for the global mining industry that investors, executives and environmentalists have tried to curtail with safety and inspection standards introduced last year.

Not all companies - including Catoca - have publicly committed to the standards, which are non-binding, further fuelling questions about how the standards can cause industry-wide change if not all mines and mining companies adhere.

Catoca, a joint venture between Angolan state diamond company Endiama and Russia's Alrosa (ALRS.MM), said in a press release last month that tailings leaked into the Lova River, a tributary of the Tshikapa River, which eventually feeds into the Congo River, in late July.

Satellite images reviewed by Reuters show the Tshikapa turned red on July 25.

Catoca said it immediately sought to repair the leak, built two dykes to filter sediment out of the water and by Aug. 9 the breach was sealed. read more

Alrosa, which holds a 41% stake in Catoca, did not disclose the incident and told Reuters it was not its responsibility to do so as it does not control the mine site.

Endiama, which also holds 41% of the company, also said it was Catoca's responsibility to make the incident public. In answers to Reuters' questions, Endiama said it was made aware of the leak on July 30, three days after Catoca said it was seen.

Catoca said it donated food baskets to riverine communities to mitigate the impact of the pollution. Endiama said other measures were being worked on, without providing details.

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the global mining industry trade group, which worked to draw up standards on tailings dams, said it had offered support to Alrosa - which is not an ICMM member - after the leak.

Adam Matthews, chief responsible investment officer for the Church of England Pensions Board, which was also instrumental in drawing up the safety norms, said the leak was ... "

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/co ... 021-09-02/
PinkDiamond
ISG Registered Gemologist


· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ There are miracles left for you to do .... -:¦:- -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* It all begins inside of you. ;)
Post Reply