Communities in Enugu Protest The Pollution Of Water Sources By Coal Miners
Communities in Enugu express concern about illicit mining operations
Communities have demanded that consents to mining companies that violate international best practices be revoked because of their destruction of farmlands and vegetation through environmental degradation.
Concerns about coal miners' activities contaminating their sources of drinking water and livelihood have been raised by a few communities in Enugu State.
They also expressed their displeasure at the coal miners' repeated disregard for their health and environmental safety violations.
This was disclosed during a press conference held in Enugu on Tuesday by the presidents-general and traditional rulers of these communities.
The communities include Ezimo in Udenu Local Government Area, Akwuke in Enugu South, Nsude in Udi, Awha Imezi in Ezeagu, and others, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The traditional leader of the Nsude Autonomous Community in the Udi Local Government Area, George Onoh, made a plea to the state government to step in and make sure that mining companies obtained mining consents.
Speaking on behalf of the impacted communities, Mr. Onoh urged the government to make sure that miners followed international best practices in order to protect them from health risks such as pollution.
He demanded that approvals for mining companies that do not follow international best practices be revoked because their operations degrade the environment, destroying farmlands and vegetation.
“Following a series of deliberations, we have unanimously agreed that we need to review the mining consent obtained by mining companies from our communities that have not lived up to expectations.
“Some of them were fraught with illegalities. This is in addition to brazen disregard for the environmental safety of our people whose sources of water and farming have been polluted from the source,” he said.
He asked groups and individuals who were interested in mining to get in touch with the State Government Secretary in order to confirm that they had the approval of the local communities.
“They should comply with ethical, environmental and professional measures that guarantee the safety of their host communities subject to the Federal Government cadastre certificates,” he said.
(NAN)
No comments:
Leave comment here