Lucapa Diamond constructed a new wastewater treatment facility at its 70%-owned Mothae Mine in Lesotho to dispose of its wastewater in a more environmentally sound way.
The plant, it said, can process up to 80 cubic metres of raw sewage per day and treat the mine's grey and black water, producing safe and disposable effluent and waste.
The diamond mining company said in its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report for 2022 that the mine previously disposed of its wastewater using honeysuckers or sewage trucks, which would drive more than 100 kilometres from the mine several times a day to the nearest disposal facility.
“It was not only an inefficient use of resources but also a costly disposal method,” said Lucapa.
“A conventional activated sludge treatment plant was constructed at Mothae and commissioned in 2022. The Maluti Mountains, where Mothae is situated, have extreme weather fluctuations, therefore, the plant has been housed in a facility to ensure that the correct temperature is maintained for optimal biological population growth.”
Meanwhile, Lucapa said its 40%-owned Sociedade Mineira do Lulo (SML) has a team at the Lulo Mine that monitors and minimises environmental impact across the concession.
“The team has set about revegetating the disturbed land by setting up a small trial nursery to germinate plants from seeds of trees native to the surrounding area,” it said.
“While grassland on the concession regenerates itself, the trees do so at a much slower rate. Various species of native trees are being grown at the trial nursery and planted over disturbed land to revegetate it.”
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
The plant, it said, can process up to 80 cubic metres of raw sewage per day and treat the mine's grey and black water, producing safe and disposable effluent and waste.
The diamond mining company said in its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report for 2022 that the mine previously disposed of its wastewater using honeysuckers or sewage trucks, which would drive more than 100 kilometres from the mine several times a day to the nearest disposal facility.
“It was not only an inefficient use of resources but also a costly disposal method,” said Lucapa.
“A conventional activated sludge treatment plant was constructed at Mothae and commissioned in 2022. The Maluti Mountains, where Mothae is situated, have extreme weather fluctuations, therefore, the plant has been housed in a facility to ensure that the correct temperature is maintained for optimal biological population growth.”
Meanwhile, Lucapa said its 40%-owned Sociedade Mineira do Lulo (SML) has a team at the Lulo Mine that monitors and minimises environmental impact across the concession.
“The team has set about revegetating the disturbed land by setting up a small trial nursery to germinate plants from seeds of trees native to the surrounding area,” it said.
“While grassland on the concession regenerates itself, the trees do so at a much slower rate. Various species of native trees are being grown at the trial nursery and planted over disturbed land to revegetate it.”
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
