CHINGOLA UPND member of parliament Chipoka Mulenga says while it’s okay to have mines, they should work without destroying land, crops and people’s lives.

Speaking when he visited families affected by the acid effluents from Mimbula Mine in Chingola, Saturday, Mulenga, who is also Minister of Commerce and Trade, said he had constituted a team to check if the land was still fertile and determine whether the water was safe for use.

“When this happened, I visited all the affected areas. The first person I sent was the provincial minister, two days after Chambishi was also affected. That’s why we decided to divide ourselves and visit different places. I went to Mimbula so that even before we started checking the affected fields, I wanted to ensure that water was safe for drinking. That’s why we said we add lime and caustic soda so that the water is safe for drinking. What worried me the most, which made me pay attention to that stream before the fields, was because people started eating the dead fish. That’s not hunger,” Mulenga said.

“The mines are okay, but they need to be working without destroying the land, fields and people’s lives when they are working. We have also come with Mimbula team so that they can see the extent of the damage to the fields. We made a team in Chingola consisting of agriculture, I want to thank you for welcoming them whenever they visit the fields. They have to determine whether the land will ever be fertile or not, and the extent of the damaged crops. There’s also a team to determine whether the water is safe for use”.

He urged people not to be deceived that they need to pay something for them to be compensated.

“I hear that there are people who are making you pay K50 to be compensated. This government doesn’t go to vulnerable people and ask them to pay for them to be compensated. Government helps the vulnerable when they are in need. Whoever is asking you to pay is a thief, report him to the police. We want to see how you are surviving and how we can help you because you were preparing to ensure that you are food secure next year,” said Mulenga.