By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Barrick Gold Corporation has announced that it will restore the operations of a waste pond built at a cost of $65 million at the North Mara gold mine – and which was closed down in 2019.
The firm said that it had achieved its commitment to bring the operation’s tailings storage facility’s (TSF) pond back within its permitted design capacity by the end of this year.
Barrick made the commitment to the government when it took over control of the mine in September 2019, at a time when the National Environment Management Council (Nemc) had closed down the TSF, then holding significantly more water than it should.
Villagers say the facility has effectively ended years of misunderstandings between the mine and surrounding communities over management of toxic waste from water discharged from the mine.
“In short, there have been a lot of improvements in operations of the mine since Barrick took over the management..the so-called toxic waste is now a thing of the past,” said the chairman for Matongo Village in Matongo Ward, Tarime District, Mara, Mr Daudi Itembe.
His Komelela Village counterpart Nyamaganya Marwa shared similar sentiments.
The investment in the project, increased the water treatment plant’s capacity 16-fold from 2.5 million litres per day to 40 million litres per day.
The addition of a brine treatment plant has reduced the volume of salts in the effluent water, enabling it to be stored safely.
“North Mara will continue to monitor the TSF’s performance and will engage regularly with the relevant authorities to ensure that its high standards are maintained. This includes the analysis of drinking water wells and surface water sources surrounding the mine,” he said.
Barrick’s North Mara general manager Apolinary Lyambiko told journalists on Thursday, that the company has informed NEMC regarding the milestone and hoped that the environmental watchdog would soon visit the area for its routine checks.