A source close to the village told journalists yesterday that three of the victims were members of the same family who had been in the mining business for more than two decades, adding that the other four were hired from the neighbouring village to help them in excavations.
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He said that some of the defaulters did not conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before commencing operations, adding that this could be dangerous to the host communities’ health and cause environmental degradations.
“Honestly speaking, the level of mining companies compliance with the ministry’s law and regulation is very low. We have started a sensitisation programme across all the zones, educating them on why it is mandatory to adhere to our law to avoid sanctions,” he said.