The National Agency for Environmental Quality Control (AQUA) has announced that it is already investigating the case of environmental pollution reported by the community, involving the Indian mining company Vulcan, which exploits coal at the Moatize mine in Tete province, central Mozambique.
According to AQUA’s legal officer, Danilo Liasse, the organisation he represents is evaluating the case to see if there is sufficient evidence for administrative liability (imposition of fines), stressing that it is counting on the collaboration of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), which will have to deal with the criminal matter.
‘We still don’t have any scientific data to talk about what happened. At the moment, a multidisciplinary team is on the ground analysing all the aspects that have to do with the company’s activity so that measures can be taken to safeguard the environment and public health,’ he said.
In the last three years alone, Vulcan has produced more than 35 million tonnes of coal a year at its mines in Moatize, an operation that was bought in April 2022 from Brazil’s Vale for more than 17 billion meticals (270 million dollars).
The private Indian company is part of the Jindal Group, with a market value of 1.1 trillion meticals (18 billion dollars), and was previously present in Mozambique, operating the Chirodzi mine, also located in the Tete region.
