Tanzania likely to have bad impacts, and little benefit, from uranium mining

Uranium ore tempts Tanzania to dig dangerously, Deutsche Welle, 20 Oct 13Though many consider the risks incalculable, Tanzania is planning to mine its radioactive uranium. A history of gold mining shows that the country, its people and abundant wildlife stand to gain little from doing so…..

Tanzania has been carrying out exploratory drilling operations for a number of years so that it might soon begin the real business of uranium mining. People who live in Bahia, however, have reacted to the drilling with skepticism.

Anthony Lyamunda wants to protect Tanzanian’s from harm

For Anthony Lyamunda, the local population is not involved as part of the discussion. Lyamunda is the director of the CESOPE, an NGO devoted to empowering local Tanzanians by providing education and information about their legal rights.

“We still don’t know where that money’s supposed to go,” he told DW, adding that he has little hope that much of what will be gained from drilling in the region will end up in the hands of the people living there – particularly given the country’s experience with gold.

“That was a long time ago, when we began mining for gold in Tanzania. Has the land developed in any way since then?” He asked, adding that the general population continues to live in poverty. “What miracle has to happen now for us to finally become rich through uranium mining?”…..

the large majority of mining licenses have gone to foreign firms, with the public having no oversight as to the profits secured by these companies…….

The Selous Game Reserve is one of Africa’s largest contiguous wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yet even here, a compromise was made: UNESCO allowed Tanzania to reduce the size of the park in order to preclude illegal mining – and at the same time avoid losing UNESCO World Heritage status…….

he [Christof Schenck, the director of the Frankfurt Zoological Society ] said he worries whether Tanzania will take the appropriate safety precautions. “How will water sources in the area be affected? And how can you recognize early enough if dangerous materials end up in the environment?” he asked in an interview with DW. In order to avoid large-scale environmental damage, Schenck called for an alarm system that meets international standards – as well as pre-emptive studies.

In southern Tanzania, the uranium is thick and close to the earth’s surface. That brings yet another danger: A gust of wind can blow uranium dust from surface mining operations and into the surrounding landscape.

For CESOPE director Lyamunda and his organization further north in Bahi, the issue is clear: The best thing would be for Tanzania to desist entirely from mining uranium. His group is not alone in that opinion. At a conference in Tanzania that took place in early October, his call was supported by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and the Germany-based Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Only by keeping away from the substance altogether, the groups argue, can another risk be avoided: that of uranium falling into the wrong hands and then utilized for the construction of nuclear weapons. http://www.dw.de/uranium-ore-tempts-tanzania-to-dig-dangerously/a-17169439