Minister warns against environmental ruin

Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment), Mr January Makamba, has cautioned mining companies over environmental degradation, saying the matter can lead to social grievances around mining sites. 

He told the companies to maintain good social relations in areas they operate, including taking into consideration environmental issues that could affect the communities.

“It’s very important the way you engage with communities; don’t think that things are all ok after getting mining licence; issue of compensation is also crucial,” he said when speaking at the minerals and energy stakeholders gala dinner in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

He pointed out that the government was considering capacity building among artisanal miners so that they mine in a manner which is environmentally friendly.

Chairman of the Tanzania Chamber of Minerals and Energy (TCME) which organised the event, Ambassador Ami Mpungwe, said the chamber membership, singularly and collectively, was deeply committed to the renewed concern and care for the environment as an imperative for survival and sustainable development of the sector.

“In this regard, such issues like climate change, deforestation, bio-diversity depletion, water deficits, marine pollution, fisheries depletion and so on, are of very deep concern to our membership as we work for and continue to demand some urgent local and global solutions,” he said.

Population growth that covers almost the entire world tends to exacerbate the problems of pollution, waste disposal, epidemics, sanitation and depletion of non-renewable resources.

“Our mining industry, therefore, strongly supports the intensified calls for coherence and effectiveness in the implementation of both, local and global conventions on environmental management,” he noted.

 

The chamber expressed appreciation for the ministry’s endorsement of the “Environmental Guidelines for Investors” prepared by the Chamber and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Mr Makamba launched the document at the same event.