{Rwanda National Police (RNP) has called on miners to frequently conduct risk assessments as a measure of avoiding accidents that could lead to loss of life.}
The call was made by the Eastern Region Police Spokesperson, Inspector of Police (IP) Emmanuel Kayigi as he reacted to a collapsed mining concession belonging to a company called Dumac limited on February 27.
The collapsed cassiterite concession is based in Rugunga village, Kigarama cell in Nzige sector of Rwamagana District; by press time, one of the miners identified as Jean Paul Maniraguha was still trapped inside as police was using all means possible to rescue him.
“The accident was caused by heavy rainfall that weakened the pillars of the concession by this could have been avoided if the company had conducted prior risk assessments, said IP Kayigi.
He added that, “In conducting frequent risk assessments, miners should be looking at the possibility of environmental disasters that could cause accidents and put in place measures of avoiding loss of life.”
He pointed out that it is necessary that concession owners operate in an environment-friendly manner to avoid accidents like landslides.
“Having a license to mine doesn’t mean that you have the authority to destroy the environment. You should be champions of environmental protection and always plant as many trees as possible around your concessions, that way you avoid unnecessary accidents.”
Kayigi also advised concession owners to put in place safety precautions like equipping miners with all the required gears and urged them to always abide by laws governing mining and also ensure all miners are equipped with standard accessories necessary to protect them from any accidents.
Kayigi also advised concession owners to always rehabilitate degraded mining sites.
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