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Tanzania: Tread Carefully On Resources Utilisation
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The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
EDITORIAL
17 July 2008
Posted to the web 17 July 2008
The number of companies seeking licences for mineral exploration has increased tremendously. According to Energy and Minerals minister William Ngeleja, an average of 500 licences were issued every month in the 2007/08 financial year. The previous financial year, it was an average of 240 a month.
The minister has partly attributed this to the reforms in the licensing department, which have increased efficiency and transparency. But the increase in exploration clearly points to the great potential mineral wealth in Tanzania. In fact, there are some areas, whose huge potential has only been scratched on the surface or not touched at all.
But the danger with extractive industries is that the resources are not inexhaustible. We must, therefore, never lose sight of the fact the gold, diamonds and tanzanite buried underground could easily be completely exhausted if we allow extraction with gluttonous abandon.
We also well are aware that not all explorations result in mining, and could just end up wreaking havoc on the environment. The Government must, therefore, not hurriedly issue licences to all manner of extractors, leading to a depletion of our resources in the shortest time possible.
The licensing authorities must never forget that minerals are non-renewable. The minerals being pulled out of the earth can't be replenished. This is why everything must be done to ensure that the country benefits immensely from mining.
The Government should make geological maps and carry out explorations to determine the type and amount of minerals to be found in various areas. Some portions could then be closed off and mining firms asked to concentrate only in the areas that have already sanctioned. It might even be a good idea to keep miners out of those sections for even up to 100 years. Unless this happens, future generations will only know about the minerals we have today from history.
As oil-producing countries have demonstrated, there is need for systematic exploration and exploitation to avoid haphazard extraction and depletion of such natural resources. We, therefore, urge that decisive steps be taken to preserve some mineral-rich sites for future generations.
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We're, therefore, not asking the Government to reinvent the wheel as this a common practice in countries that have abundant with non-renewable natural wealth such as minerals, oil and gas.
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