{"id":14584,"date":"2022-05-17T08:02:15","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T08:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/villagers-take-mining-firm-to-court-over-polluted-blue-water-toxic-to-plants-and-animals"},"modified":"2022-05-17T10:16:29","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T10:16:29","slug":"villagers-take-mining-firm-to-court-over-polluted-blue-water-toxic-to-plants-and-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/villagers-take-mining-firm-to-court-over-polluted-blue-water-toxic-to-plants-and-animals","title":{"rendered":"Villagers take mining firm to court over polluted blue water, toxic to plants and animals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>The Patising and Maloraneng communities living near the mine share the surrounding natural water sources. But residents say dark blue water runs in the contaminated streams, which is causing illness and death.<\/p>\n

Let\u0161eng Diamond Mine, which started operating in 2004 and is 70% owned by London-based shareholder Gem Diamonds<\/a> as well as the Lesotho government, denies any wrongdoing. The mine claims it is managing pollution levels that are a by-product of operations.<\/p>\n

<\/a>In a confidential report to Lesotho\u2019s Department of Environment, seen by the MNN, the mine admits: \u201cSeepages from the waste rock dumps and overflows from dirty water containment facilities allow receiving surface water environments to become polluted with especially nitrates and sulphate\u201d.<\/p>\n

Chief executive officer of Let\u0161eng Diamond Mine, Kelebone Leisanyane submitted a report in January this year to the Department of Environment, under the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture, in line with the Environmental Act 2008.<\/p>\n

<\/a>The social and environmental management plan compliance audit report states: \u201cStandards for nitrate are consistently exceeding in Patising [sic].<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the implementation of several mitigatory measures to clean the seepage [dilution and engineered wetlands], the system remains polluted with nitrate to levels exceeding domestic and livestock guidelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cStandards for the nitrates are consistently exceeded in the Patising, Qaqa and RTZ systems while biomonitoring results show the Patiseng system to be in a poor condition, mostly owing to elevated salts and organic pollution [biannual water quality monitoring report of March 2021].<\/p>\n

The report further reveals the RTZ system, a structure built to treat water in the mine, has recorded increasing levels of nitrate and sulphate since 2014, which suggests the mine has been aware of its impact on Mokhotlong\u2019s water sources for years.<\/p>\n

In a telephonic interview with MNN, Leisanyane said: \u201cThe issue of sulphates and nitrates in a mining area is one of the things that are being managed on a regular basis because the mine uses explosives and that is something which is there.
\nSection 4 of the Environment Act 2008 compels companies to take all reasonable measures to \u201cmitigate undesirable effects not contemplated in the environmental impact statement and shall report those measures to the director annually or whenever the director requires\u201d.<\/p>\n

To achieve this, companies compile their social and environmental management plans (Semp), which are externally audited before being submitted to the Department of Environment, when requested by the director of environment, Motsamai Damane.<\/p>\n

In Let\u0161eng\u2019s case, the audit was carried out by South African environmental consultancy, Shangoni Management Services. In its findings, Shangoni refers to previous reports, such as the March 2021 biannual water quality monitoring report, which confirms water contamination allegations against Let\u0161eng.<\/p>\n

While Shangoni notes that there was high level of compliance on the mine\u2019s Semp, the consultancy lists six non-compliance issues, which include activities affecting the surrounding clean water environment \u201cthrough seepages and release of affected water \u2013 high nitrate and sulphate concentrations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Shangoni\u2019s findings coincide with two independent research studies undertaken by the Maluti Community Development Forum, an interest group that defends the rights of Lesotho\u2019s poor communities in mining areas as well as a masters study by Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) student Bokang Shakhane<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The forum\u2019s report states: \u201cA high concentration of nitrates [NO3] was found in water samples near tailing sites in Let\u0161eng and Maloraneng villages\u201d. \u201cWhile most natural streams in Lesotho have been found extremely clean in terms of water quality, nitrate levels up to 18 mg\/l are not uncommon.<\/p>\n

However, the levels found in the samples from Let\u0161eng and Maloraneng exceeded the detection limit of the measurement instrument [absorbance of 3 000, equivalent to 86.18 mg\/l NO3].
\nThe forum engaged experts from the National University of Lesotho to test water samples through ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reacting to the forum\u2019s findings on 29 March 2022, Leisanyane issued a statement, noting \u201cin line with our commitment to transparency, we make regular and full disclosures to the appropriate stakeholders in Lesotho\u201d.<\/p>\n

The third CPUT report, by Shakhane, states \u201cthe results indicated the concentration of nitrates\/nitrites in the range from 0.13 \u2013 167 mg\/l and 0 \u2013 67.8 mg\/l during dry and wet seasons respectively\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nitrates and nitrites, on the other hand, proved to be mainly point sources because they were highest at Patising stream which carries some effluent from Let\u0161eng diamond slimes dams,\u201d Shakhane said.<\/p>\n

He says ammonia, also distributed across all the sampled locations but highest at Patising, ranged from 0.17 \u2013 1.89 mg\/l and 0.15 \u2013 0.68 mg\/l in the dry and wet season respectively.<\/p>\n

Another heavy metal, copper ranged from 0.039 \u2013 0.219 mg\/l and 0.011 \u2013 0.029 in the dry and wet season respectively while the levels of lead ranged from 0 \u2013 0.020 mg\/l and that of chromium were found to lie between 0 and 0.046 mg\/l.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results obtained in the present study indicated that there was a definite pollution in the Khubelu River catchment with respect to HMs [heavy metals] and nutrients studied,\u201d Shakhane said, stressing that these metals can have serious health implications for all animals and plants.<\/p>\n

He recommended an appropriate joint monitoring programme by the Departments of Environment and Water Affairs be done in order to minimise the possible impacts. Leisanyane told MNN: \u201cWe are not getting into these research-related questions because we do not have time, they are highly academic\u201d.<\/p>\n

In September 2020, 19 Patising villagers took the Let\u0161eng Diamond Mine to court, fearing for their lives in the event a slimes dam, upstream of their village, collapses.<\/p>\n

Mapont\u0161o Lematla, one of the 19 villagers, argued that the mine was contaminating freshwater sources. Leisanyane claimed water pollution allegations were misplaced when responding to the unusual high court application Lematla and 18 other villagers filed in court.<\/p>\n

The case is pending. Yet the report to the Department of Environment, which Leisanyane signed off and submitted, indicates that the return water dam receives seepage as well as stormwater from the surrounding catchment, resulting in frequent overflow of dirty water into the catchment.<\/p>\n

The report further states that although an access road is used as a storm water diversion to the north of the dam, \u201cno such attenuation or diversion structure is located south of the dam and clean water is allowed to freely drain into the dam and resulting overflows from the dam into the Patising catchment\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a consequence, the Patising system consistently exceeds the legal and adopted standards for nitrate\u201d. According to the report, the mine has known that it was recording \u201cincreasing levels of nitrate and sulphate since 2014\u201d.<\/p>\n

On 20 April this year, Leisanyane told MNN sulphates and nitrates are \u201cbyproducts of our work, we monitor them on a regular basis\u201d. \u201cWe have to [regularly monitor them] because they are the byproducts of using explosives and all mines that use explosives do that [monitoring],\u201d Leisanyane said.<\/p>\n

Now the question is, did Leisanyane commit perjury when he told the court in September 2020 the water contamination allegations were misplaced<\/a>?<\/p>\n

As part of its poverty mitigation strategy, the Lesotho government is currently implementing an environmental rehabilitation programme which employs unskilled labour in different communities.<\/p>\n

Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation Minister Motloli Maliehe officiated a tree-planting event for the Metseletsele programme, which was held at Maloraneng for the Paea-lea-Itlhatsoa community in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe once planted trees next to the village [Maloraneng].<\/p>\n

As we were watering [the trees], collecting water from the stream [Maloraneng] and pouring it into the tree holes, that soil changed immediately and there was a blue layer on top of it, depicting the very same blue water that we regularly witness,\u201d Moletsane said.<\/p>\n

Moletsane says Maliehe is well aware of their grievances with Let\u0161eng on the water pollution saga. \u201cI think his surname was something like Maliehe. He is a minister responsible for the Metseletsele projects or Forestry Ministry.<\/p>\n

He took our issues and said he would engage the minister of mining to see how best these issues can be handled,\u201d Moletsane said. In a brief interview with MNN, Maliehe confirmed that he saw the blue water in the Maloraneng stream.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I agree that I witnessed the water contamination with my own eyes but that is not my responsibility [to deal with this issue at ministerial level], the ministry responsible is that of the environment,\u201d Maliehe said. According to Shangoni Management Services, the mine supplies water to communities whose surface water is contaminated by its activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u0161eng supplies water to two communities where surface water sources are contaminated with nitrate to the extent that it is unusable for drinking water,\u201d Shangoni Management Services said in a leaked report the mine submitted to the Department of Environment.<\/p>\n

In Patising alone, the mine yielded to community pressure and constructed a solar-powered water project, which pumps water from the Khubelu River into a tank for purification.<\/p>\n

Leisanyane says the mine supplies potable water to the communities if nitrate and sulphate levels in the water are too high, which happens during drought seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we discover that our own set standards, which are way above the South African standards because Lesotho does not own country standards, are at the level which does not make us happy, indeed we supply them with water different from that they would be using because we must live and there is nothing we can do,\u201d Leisanyane said.<\/p>\n

This is, however, contrary to the public position Let\u0161eng has taken on water contamination allegations. Shangoni has since advised Let\u0161eng to continue with the current investigation and studies linked to the bio-remediation plan for surface water pollutants.<\/p>\n

The solar-powered system has collapsed due to the overflowing Khubelu River and in 2022, Let\u0161eng Diamond Mine succumbed to mounting pressure from villagers and constructed a borehole in Patising.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Patising and Maloraneng communities living near the mine share the surrounding natural water sources. But residents say dark blue water runs in the contaminated streams, which is causing illness and death. Let\u0161eng Diamond Mine, which started operating in 2004 and is 70% owned by London-based shareholder Gem Diamonds as well as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":14583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,8,16],"tags":[233,246,245],"class_list":["post-14584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-lesotho","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nVillagers take mining firm to court over polluted blue water, toxic to plants and animals - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Patising and Maloraneng communities living near the mine share the surrounding natural water sources. 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