By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, February 29, Mana: District Forestry Officer for Chitipa, Sitwell Banda, has appealed to mining investors in Chitipa District to adhere to social and environmental safeguards when mining minerals in the district.

Banda said this on Tuesday during a district environmental subcommittee (DESC) meeting where a Malawian owned company, Gamba Mining Company, was briefing the committee on coal mining the company intends to venture into at Gamba in Traditional Authority (TA) Nthalire in the district.

“Wherever mining activities are done, issues of environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity and social interruption are always rampant if mitigation measures are not followed,” he said.

Banda asked Gamba Mining Company, and other investors, to share the final copies of the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for easy monitoring of mitigation measures.

Environmental Officer for TDJ Investment, consultants for Gamba Mining Company, Dhliwayo Jere, said the mining company will produce 90 to 150 tons of coal per week.

Jere added that the project will cover a total area of 933 hectares with a time frame of not less than five years.