VILLAGERS living near a uranium mine in Siavonga have demanded that Government sends health experts to the area to investigate strange illnesses which include cases of both men and women facing fertility problems.

Locals are demanding that the mining project, which has been going on for close to 10 years, be halted until all strange happenings and illnesses are investigated and findings made public.

The villagers around the Denson-operated Muntanga Uranium Mine in Chief Sinadambwe’s area in Siavonga, have complained that they are drinking water allegedly contaminated with uranium particles.

The villagers complained that the mining of uranium in the area has allegedly resulted in the pollution of the water table which has resulted in people experiencing strange illnesses such as pain when passing urine and other health complications.

Speaking to the Daily Nation in Muntanga mine area, Mutuba Ward councillor Wesley Munyumbwe appealed to Government to move in and stop the mining activities in the area until measures are put in place to protect the people from the effects of uranium.

Mr Munyumbwe accused the mine owners of not being sincere in the manner they were dealing with the issue of water pollution caused by their mining activities, adding that for over 10 years the company has been pretending to carry out exploration when in actual fact the company was mining uranium at full scale.

He appealed to the government to compel Denson Mining Company to compensate the villagers around the mining area that are affected by contaminated water.

‘’We have problems with drinking water in Muntanga and Nabbila area. When the villagers drink the water from the boreholes, they experience stomach pains and difficulty when urinating. At first, people thought it was STIs until it was discovered that it was as a result of drinking contaminated water caused by uranium mining activities,” Mr Munyumbwe said. He said the mining company and Government should find a solution before lives are lost, adding that mining of uranium has become a danger to the people in the area and must be properly regulated to safeguard their lives.

And a resident at Muntanga Denson mine, Mr Stanford Dimba told the Daily Nation that for the past seven years, people have been appealing to the mining company to put measures in place to halt water pollution in the area but nothing had been done.

He complained that because of drinking uranium contaminated water, men were having problems of fertility.

“Because of the water we are consuming, we have difficulties bearing children, we can’t impregnate our wives,” he said.

Daily Nation