REDCLIFF-BASED cement manufacturer Livetouch Investments, the producer of Diamond Cement, has made significant strides in reducing dust emissions from production processes and so reduce fugitive dust and improve air quality as required by the World Health Organisation.
Located a stone's throw away from a residential area, Stone Claire in Redcliff, the company has been accused of emitting dust, which affected residents of the new suburb.
In April this year, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) visited the plant and carried out assessments following complaints of deteriorating air quality due to dust emissions.
In turn, the company submitted an action plan, which consisted of long-term plans and short term actions for quick alleviation of the dust from unpaved surfaces, dust from openings at the cement plant and from the unpaved access road.
On Wednesday, a Kwekwe District Civil Protection Unit delegation toured the company to assess progress on the proposed mitigation measures and expressed satisfaction on progress made so far.
EMA District Officer Mr Daniel Magombedze said although the company had tried to comply with the directives, more needed to be done.
"The plant has three main sources of dust emissions, which are the bowl mill, the drier and the packing bay, which all have chim- neys," he said.
"We identified the major sources of pollution and they submitted an action plan, which included planting trees as a long-term solu- tion, which they have done," he said.
Mr Magombedze said Livetouch had also moved the slag from a place near the resi- dential area to the plant, which was a major source of dust emissions.
"They have also since dismantled a conveyor belt, which ferried slag from the original source and this was one of the major sources of dust emissions. We also agreed that they should not use the old drying method of the slag and they have since removed the drier and we urge them to use a highly mechanised method, which does not emit much," he said.
Mr Magombedze said although the company had made significant strides, there was still more to be done to eradicate dust emissions permanently.
"Admittedly, something has been done but of course, not to our satisfaction. There is still the issue of surfacing of pavements using concrete, which is still outstanding. Currently they used quarry stone, which is not effective as it needs to be consistently replaced.
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"They should continue with concrete sur- facing to eliminate the problem once and for all," he said.
"We have seen the company replacing filter beds but driveways are still to be attended to. These should be attended to and this
can go a long way in reducing the dust emissions."
EMA would continue monitoring and carrying out necessary tests so that residents were not affected.
A representative of the residents, Mr Sithole Mahlupi, said although the suburban developer did not tell them about the plant, they were happy with the interventions made so far.
"When we bought these stands, the developer did not tell us about the hazards, which lie ahead. We are, however, very happy with the timely interventions being made by the company," said Mr Mahlupi.
"They have since dismantled some of their machinery, which did not only produce dust but also made serious noise. We are very grateful to the company and hope to continue working together."
Livetouch spokesperson, Mr George Makonese said the company would continue working hard to create a conducive and safe environment.
