Peter Sinkamba, a renowned environmental expert, has raised concerns about the safety of players training at the Kitwe Tailings Slimes Dam during the current off-season.
Less than five kilometers from the Kitwe Central Business District (CBD) lies the tailings dam in question. It’s a place where mineral waste once freely flowed at the height of mining activities in the city.
Tailings, which are remnants of mining activities, can contain harmful chemicals. These substances pose potential health risks to anyone exposed to them.
Additionally, there is a remote possibility that the tailings could collapse due to underground water pressure, endangering anyone in the vicinity.
During the current preseason, three Super League clubs, Zanaco, Green Buffaloes, and Napsa Stars have been pictured at the site doing some intense training as they shape up for the upcoming season.
Why is the Kitwe Tailings Slimes Dam dangerous?
In an exclusive interview with Bolanews, Sinkamba urged clubs to be cautious.
“It depends on the chemical composition of that tailings dam,” Sinkamba said. “That one was used as a dumpsite way back so in terms of chemical composition there is no problem.
“The only problem is that we are now degrading the dumpsite’s integrity which may result into a catastrophic event in the unlikely event that there is a breach on that particular dam.
“We normally have tailings dam that have a breach and people have ended up being buried alive… It becomes very catastrophic depending on the water quantity that it is storing down there.”
Sinkamba said the safety of a dam is dependent on several factors among them the chemical composition of the ‘sand’ it is not entirely unsafe to hang around there provided the composition is negligible.
“On that particular tailings dam, i hope there isn’t a huge quantity of water which is stored whereby those activities start compromising the integrity of the dam [to the extent] where it breaches, it can cause problems,” he said.
