Dealing with lead pollution in Kabwe
By Aubrey Musuumba
FOR 90 years up until 1994, the mining and processing of lead and zinc were the principal economic activity in Kabwe.
However, the mine was shut down in 1994 as it was no longer deemed economically viable.
Although mining had come to a halt in the town nearly 14 years ago, previous mining activities inevitably have had serious environmental ramifications which have impacted negatively on the environment and human life.
There is significant evidence of lead pollution in Kabwe which can have severe consequences on the environment and human health
Researchers have described lead as a naturally occurring metal found in the environment.
Research has further shown that lead pollution is chiefly a result of human activities such as mining scavenging and use of lead contaminated material in yards.
Lead has various uses such as the production of batteries, ammunition, electronic equipment such as x-ray equipment and pipes.
Lead is also used as an additive to petrol being used in Zambia.
In an effort to mitigate the environmental and social impact of mining activity, the Government conceived the environmental co-ordination unit under the auspices of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings, (ZCCM-IH)
Environmental manager, Joseph Makumba, in an interview, said that the project hatched after the privatisation of ZCCM and closure of Kabwe mine, aims at redressing the environmental and social liabilities of the Government under the existing environmental laws and regulations.
Makumba said since inception in 2002, the project has embarked on a comprehensive and aggressive programme to define the level and extent of environmental contamination, its impact on humans and defining mitigation measures.
He cited the Kabwe Scoping and Design Studies and the consolidated environmental management plan for Kabwe and the Copperbelt, as two major programmes which had been undertaken and completed.
‘’With these studies we now have a fuller understanding of environmental and social liabilities and most importantly, the mitigation measures to address the various concerns’’ he said.
Mr Makumba added that in Kabwe, the Zambia Environmental Co-ordination Unit was implementing public and environmental health programmes under the Kabwe Rehabilitation and Decommission project to address community level impacts, particularly lead poisoning.
Project medical officer, Dr Nancy Nzongwe, said lead poisoning raises concern as elevated levels of lead in blood have significant negative health impacts on human health particularly children below the age of six.
Dr Zongwe said that lead poisoning effects in children include damage of the kidney and nervous system, slow growth and decreased muscle and bone, increased aggression, delinquency and learning disorders.
In the case of adults, she said, lead poisoning affected the central nervous, abdomen and reproductive system.
She said lead poisoning had various symptoms which may not be visible and often time resembled those of other common illnesses such as malaria adding that the only way to distinguish lead poisoning was by taking a blood test which determines the amount of lead in the body.
Dr Zongwe said that in Kabwe the main sources of lead were dust and contaminated soil from the former mine plant area, scrap lead metal, lead contaminated coal and leaded petrol.
She said it was in this regard that the Zambia environmental co-ordination unit was implementing risk communication and education campaigns and investment in support infrastructure such as water supply, environment information centres and provision of lead safe environment for young people such as play parks and lead safe school.
She said while it was a known fact that lead poisoning had a negative effect on human health, there was hope in the fact that lead exposure could be prevented and controlled.
Dr Zongwe said significant reduction in lead exposure could be achieved by adopting behaviours that reduced the risk of exposure and lead poisoning.
Project community and communication liaison officer, Mwangala Chiwala, said an intensive community outreach programme was being implemented in communities surrounding the mine site with a view to raising awareness of simple ways to avoid exposure to lead pollution such as the importance of good nutrition, correct food handling and planting grass to reduce dust.
Ms Chiwala said in support of this programme, public information centres had been opened in selected areas in Kabwe.
The centres will be used to educate and sensitise the community on how they should live in a lead polluted area.
She added that the purpose of putting up public information centres in the town was to ensure that there was information, not only on environmental issues related to mining, but also on other cross-cutting issues in development and health as a way of promoting access to accurate, easily available information packaged to suit the needs of different stakeholders.
Kabwe rehabilitation and decommission project manager, Joseph Kabwe, said working with other stakeholders, backed by a US$1.2 million funding from the World Bank , various lead poisoning mitigation initiatives have been undertaken.
Mr Kabwe said the initiatives included the rehabilitation of boreholes and sinking of new ones in order to provide safe and clean drinking water to residents.
He said the project would cover seven of Kabwe’s communities among them Chowa, Katondo, Kasanda, Mooba, Mutwi-Wansofu, Zambezi and Makululu residential areas.
Lead pollution health problems are preventable, but all stakeholders need to be aware and take action.
Change in behavioural was key as communities need to adopt behaviours and habits that prevent them from lead exposure.
As the experts have said, it is vitally important that a Risk Communication Programme, whose integral component is Lead education, is sustained for as long as there is a risk of lead exposure in Kabwe and elsewhere in the country.
Happily, awareness and educational campaigns and associated social services such as clean water supply and safer play areas are being implemented in Kabwe as part of key interventional strategies against lead pollution.
Actions to mitigate lead exposure on humans such as replacement of top soil, dust control, re-vegetation of mine waste facilities, crop substitution, community hazard awareness and clinical monitoring among other measures, should rank high in the ongoing efforts to restore Kabwe to its original safe and viable place to live in.—ZANIS
