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Paladin’s uranium mine and Malawi’s water supply

CATHOLIC COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Mzuzu Diocese (Malawi) John Chawinga CCJP Secretary Mzuzu Diocese 6 Oct 09 The People of Karonga Deserve Clean and Safe Water – “……………..The people of Kayelekera have started experiencing such negligence. The people around Kayelekera have seen Paladin Africa drawing water for drinking and domestic use by their employees from Lufilya and Miswanga Rivers, while the people around the mine site continue to drink the contaminated water from Sere River.

2.2 Dr. Gavin Mudd further observed that the surface water quality data for Sere River was poor with respect to critical environmental aspects such as metal and radionuclide concentration. The EIA Consultants for Paladin pegged the analytical detection limit very high i.e. <1.8mg/L while in Australia the limit is pegged at 0.000005mg/L. By using the Australian standard as a base, Paladin has the leverage to increase the concentration of uranium in North Rukuru and Lake Malawi by as much as 36M % without being held accountable. This confirms why Paladin is unrelenting on tapping water at Club Marina from Lake Malawi…………..

there is frequently no adequate environmental health and safety legislation, let alone monitoring. Malawi does not have legal framework to regulate uranium mining………..

The reality on the ground is that Paladin has usurped the power of the water board and is involved in providing water itself. ……………………….All the documentation beginning with ‘Development Agreement’, the ‘Deed of Settlement and Release’ and the Paladin sponsored media converged on the understanding that NRWB would do the water works because it falls within their mandate. NRWB went ahead to identify two contractors to carry out the assignment, but Paladin vetoed them out.
This means that Paladin is above the laws of Malawi……………………Now with the mining on full throttle the possibility is that the uranium would easily flow into Lake Malawi. The other worry is that Paladin is not coming out clearly if there purification facility will be able to take away uranium from the water”……………

We the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace appeal as follows:
3.1 That Paladin should comply with the international best practices of mining uranium in absence of legal frame work to regulate the same in Malawi.

October 6, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AFRICA, environment | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium