Miners urged to carry extensive Environment Assessment Impact before mining

Miners have been urged to consider carrying out exploration and research to ascertain the actual reserve of minerals before extraction to avoid unnecessary degradation and losses.
The sentiments were made by Midlands Mines Director Mr. Tariro Ndlovu while officiating during an Antech Laboratories open day held under the theme “optimizing mining operations and exploration through rapid and reliable analytical services.’
Antech Laboratories is a Kwekwe based company which offers mining and exploration services, industry geochemical analysis, mine site assaying and metallurgical testing support mining and exploration companies to measure and develop their resources.
The inaugural Open Day brought together miners and stakeholders in the mining sector as they discussed challenges faced in the mining sector and how best they can be addressed as well as acquinting miners to the testing processes.
In his keynote speech, Mr Ndlovu reminded miners of the need to explore given the fact that Zimbabwe has a number of minerals.
“Let me remind miners and explorers that the decisions about exploration and grading should be based on the data generated by these analytical laboratories, not guesswork. Zimbabwe’s mining sector is highly diversified with close to 40 minerals which are very key in economic development particularly attaining Vision 2030. The Zimbabwe’s transition into middle income economy status requires reliable and reproducible test results in the mining sector since the country’s economy relies heavily on mining and mineral exploitation,” he said.
“Metallurgical assaying laboratories like Antech play a critical role in the mining and mineral processing sector in that it conducts mineral assays in support of exploration, research and gared control in the processing plant,” said Mr Ndlovu.
 He said exploration was also key in the monitoring of the environment as the mining companies carry out their mining activities.
 Mining sector continues to be the bedrock of the country’s economy and is responsible for 12 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product hence the government commitment to support the sector.
“Government is committed to the full support of its pledge to improve the quality and output of mining operations and exploration for major mining houses and small-scale miners through rapid and reliable world class data. The theme for today ‘optimizing mining operations and exploration through rapid reliable analytical services’ is timely and in line with objectives of the government’s vision 2030. It sums up the new dispensation’s aggressive economic reform agenda whose raison deter retooling and restructuring the economy,” he said.
Laboratory Manager Mr. Edson Luwobo highlighted the need to strengthen synergies between mining and exploration industry and assaying labs in order to champion the Zimbabwe vision 2030.
He said exploration and sampling was a vital component during all stages of the mining value chain.
“Highly precise testing technologies and monitoring indicators are required to enable you to make appropriate decisions. The miners’ actions therefore are based on the results of lab tests not prophets. Today’s open day aims at championing vision 2030 by optimizing mining and exploration in Zimbabwe and beyond through rapid and reliable analytical results,” said Mr Luwobo.
20 miners received certificates after completing a short course on exploration.
Antech also has collection points in Harre, Bulawayo, Kadoma and Mvuma which collect samples for testing at the Kwekwe laborator