Soil governance and the control of mining pollution in Zambia

Soil Security

Chipasha Mulenga¹ 

[1] Lecturer, Dean–School of Law, University of Lusaka, Zambia;

关键词: Mining;    Soil pollution;    Soil governance;    Zambia;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Soil governance is amongst the foremost discussed environmental issues today. It has generated a debate that questions the efficacy of the measures put in place by countries to protect the soil from adverse effects of industrial activities. Pollution of the soil can lead to ecosystems imbalance and the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria which limit a human being's ability to withstand diseases. It can also affect crop yields due to high toxicity levels and where crops are grown in polluted soils, they become unsafe for consumption by animals and human beings whose survival is connected to the use of unpolluted soils. Mining activities potentially pollute the soil and it is, therefore, unsurprising that regulatory and institutional mechanisms have been put in place to mitigate or control ongoing and also post-mining activities. This is based on the premise that soil governance requires adequate measures put in place to deal with soil pollution whose consequence, if not curtailed, may have a debilitating effect. The article examines the adequacy of the current framework on soil governance in so far as soil protection from mining activities is concerned. It finds that, though there are policy and legislative measures, they are crafted in general terms and, in some instances, bereft of specificity on soil governance. It is concluded that the current legal framework on soil governance is inadequate to guard against soil pollution resulting from mining activities.

【 授权许可】

Unknown