By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Liberia’s environmental regulatory agency has announced the closure of China Union’s iron ore Bong Mines for violating several environmental regulations.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a statement on Thursday said it shut down Bong Mines for operating without an effluent discharge license, building a processing plant without a permit and discharging tailings into a wetland.
China Union took over the Bong Mines, located about 150 km northeast of the capital Monrovia, with a $2.6 billion investment in 2008 and made its first shipment of iron ore in 2014.
The regulator said it had flagged these violations twice since June and fined the company, but there was no response from the firm.
“China Union blatantly ignored the EPA warnings and continued to operate without any environmental permits, continuing its environmental degradation and pollution,” the agency stated.
The shutdown will remain in force “until full compliance is achieved and the identified environmental concerns are duly addressed”, it added.
Reuters report says China Union could not be immediately reached for comment.
Heritage Times HT reports that Liberia is one of the African countries rich in mineral deposits, particularly iron.
The sector was decimated by decades of under-investment. Production at the Bong Mines stopped during a conflict that lasted from 1989 to 2003.
Violation of extant laws is common among foreign companies in Africa, especially the West African sub-region.
In Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, foreign oil firms, including Shell have been accused of violating environmental regulations, destroying farmlands and killing aquatic animals.
Earlier in the year, a Chinese steel manufacturing company, Inner Galaxy located in Abia, South East of Nigeria polluted waterways in the area. In addition to low pay, it was also accused of not maintaining a good relationship with host communities.
Authorities have however been reluctant in carrying out punitive measures, citing lack of jobs and crave for foreign investment.
