Bamburi Cement has adopted environmental measures to prevent coal dust pollution in Mombasa County, which was reportedly affecting residents within a three-kilometer radius. County government officials came to their defense, claiming that they had, prior to the reports, ordered the company to halt its operations.
”The resulting dust deposits on surfaces within households in the surrounding communities have turned out to be a nuisance, so we hereby require you within one day from the date of service of this notice to abate and prevent a recurrence of the said nuisance” read part of the notice co-signed by Fozia Ali and Phenny Wakio County public health officers to the cement manufacturing company.
The cement manufacturing company uses more than 100,000 tons of coal to fire their energy-hungry plants. Exposure to coal dust risks causing lung diseases.
“Post the recent incident highlighted, our internal review established that this was a one-off occurrence caused by very strong, unprecedented winds at the time of ground surface preparation at our coal storage facility. This is the first time we have experienced such an incident,” Bamburi said in a statement.
This week, the Mombasa County Government leadership paid a visit to the plant to assess all operations. Based on a consensus, the county will proceed by reviewing the coal quality assessment report, reviewing the controls on coal movement from the port to the plant, and sprinkling more water to suppress fugitive dust.
Additionally, there will be a reassessment of the air quality assessment, bolstering the mechanism for resolving complaints and community involvement, and establishing a cross-functional group to improve cooperation.
“Bamburi Cement Plc is fully complying with all the above-mentioned recommendations, holds all valid operational licenses, and has been operating responsibly for the last several decades,” the company said, adding that its operations continue normally.
