ERG asks Congo to lift copper unit ban, denies pollution charge

Erg SA

07/06/2023 11:20

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      ERG's Boss Mining unit banned by authorities for three
months
    

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      NGO Afrewatch says government should have reacted much
earlier
    

  
    By Felix  Njini and Sonia Rolley
       June 7 (Reuters) - 
    Eurasian Resources Group has asked authorities in Congo to
reconsider a three-month ban imposed on its Boss Mining unit's
copper and cobalt operations after the government accused the
miner of polluting the environment.   
     The Democratic Republic of Congo's mines ministry
temporarily halted Boss Mining's operations in Katanga province,
after flooding in March that caused "enormous environmental
damage" and loss of life, it said in a statement on June 2.
    ERG blamed the incident on heavy rain which it said
overwhelmed high-lying third-party tailings dams resulting in an
overflow into Boss Mining's water storage facility and flooding
Kakanda River's downstream banks. A subsequent investigation by
state agencies and the company found no evidence of pollution,
ERG said.
    "We reject any third party rumours about the pollution," ERG
Africa told Reuters.
    "The incident occurred far away from the processing plant
which rules out any kind of pollution. The torrential downpours
of 21 to 22 March were indeed unforeseen and led to the first
incident of this nature and scale. Water analysis conducted
following the disaster confirmed no pollution."
    Mining companies polluting the environment in Africa's
largest copper producer and the world's top cobalt supplier
would not go unpunished, Antoinette N'Samba Kalambayi, the mines
minister said in the statement. The minister also accused ERG of
operating with an expired environmental clearance certificate
and warned the three-month ban could be extended.
    While ERG said it provided financial and medical support as
well emergency supplies to the victims of the flooding,
Kalambayi said the company must take steps to repair damage
suffered by communities. Still, the temporary closure of the
operations would impact some of ERG's copper and cobalt
production and also hit the company's workers, suppliers and
communities, it said.
    "Boss Mining is hoping that the minister will reconsider
this suspension decision since there was no pollution and for
all the rest there is a specific remedy," it said.
    The dam at Boss Mining's Kakanda operations was breached
three times in March and April, negatively impacting surrounding
communities and the environment, according to Emmanuel Umpula,
executive director at African Natural Resources Watch.
    "There was even loss of life," Umpula told Reuters. "The
authorities could have reacted more quickly. To date there has
been no process to identify those who lost family members or
property."
    

 (Reporting by Felix Njini; editing by David Evans)
 ((Felix.Njini@thomsonreuters.com;))