Caution issued over misuse of mercury in smallscale mining

Misuse of mercury in mineral processing is very dangerous to the environment and humans living close to the mines.

The warning was raised by the Environmental Engineer, Emmanuel Shija from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals during his
presentation on the challenges of managing environments in small scale mining at the ongoing five day workshop for District Environmental Management Officers (DEMOs) held at the Office of Controller and Auditor-General (CAG) in Mbeya.

Shija said miners have been using mercury in gold processing in areas very close to water sources, leading to possible pollution of the water sources and endangering residents living near the mines.

"The effects of using mercury for gold processing near water sources leads to the possibility of contamination of water that may then destroy the ecosystem and affect the health of people who use the water,” Shija warned.

He added that if environments are not managed as per set environmental laws, guidelines and standards, it may lead to negative health impacts and worsening effects of climate change.

Shija said use of rudimental tools for mining, lack of capital and modern technology, poor understanding and compliance to rules and regulations all contributing to the poor performance of the small scale mining sub-sector.

Shija highlighted other challenges of the sector as, the presence of few areas designated for small scale mining as compared to the number and demand of the miners and also the artisanal miners’ lack of willingness to accept changes in the improvement of their mining operations.

Describing strategies set by the Government to ensure that miners are enabled to contribute to the economic growth of the country, Shija said that the government has been offering extension services to small scale miners, preparing various plans of action and guidelines for environmental management as well as conducting training on improved methods for mineral extraction and processing.

He also noted that the government has been giving grants to small scale miners as well as training them on entrepreneurship and financial management.
"Our goal is to ensure that small scale miners operate in conducive condition as we believe they have significant contribution to the GDP," said Shija.

Environmental Engineer, Ephrahim Mushi from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals said the   mineral sector contributes significantly to the economic growth of the nation.

Engineer Mushi said the sector contributed 3.2 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2002 and 3.5 per cent in 2012. He said the industry has grown from 2.5 per cent in 2008 to 7.8 per cent in 2012 and Foreign Direct Investment, (FDI) in the mining sector grew from USD135.33 million in 2003 to USD406.5 million for the year 2011.

According to him, the sector has created 15,000 employment opportunities in 2012 from 1,700 in 1997.

Engineer Mushi said the government continues to strategically ensure that the mining sector has ties with other sectors such as infrastructure, trade and industries and thus stimulate the growth of the economy of the nation.

He added that in order to enhance transparency and accountability in the mining sector, in 2009 Tanzania joined to Global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) and formed Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (TEITI) that prepares reports on payments and revenues from the mining and gas industry.