This document summarizes a research thesis presented to the School of Sciences at Nkumba University about the assessment of waste rock and tailings disposal methods at the Kilembe copper mine in western Uganda and their environmental implications. The thesis analyzes the types of waste rocks and tailings generated at the mine, how they were disposed of, and the positive and negative impacts on the local environment and community. Key findings include that tailings and waste rocks were dumped in piles or into nearby waterways, contaminating soils and water sources and affecting public health. The thesis concludes with recommendations for more sustainable waste management practices to prevent such environmental problems in the future.

1. ASSESSMENT OF THE METHODS USED IN WASTE ROCKS AND TAILINGS
DISPOSALAND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON THE ENVIRONMENT:
A CASE STUDY OF KILEMBE MINE AT KASESE DISTRICT IN WESTERN UGANDA
A PRESENTATION ON A RESEARCH THESIS PRESENTED TO
SCHOOL OF SCIENCES DPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, AS A FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF BSC’S
IN PETROLEUM & MINERALS MGT & TECHNOLOGY
AUGUST 20TH, 2015
BY
KUORWEL NGANG JACOB
AUG/2013/BPLMM/B11865/DAY
SUPERVISED BY:
Mr. Lugaizi Isa
Tell: +256703/714-022034
Email: isalugayizi@yahoo.com
Petroleum Course Coordinator.
Nkumba University, School of Sciences
P.O. Box 237, Entebbe, Kampala, Uganda.

2. Table of contents
 Background
 Problem statement VS Main objectives
 Conceptual framework
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
 Location (research Area)
 Population of the area
 Sample size
 Data collection methods
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
 Data, Education & Age group
 The types of waste rocks & tailings generated at the
mine site at Kilembe
 The methods used to depose off waste rocks
& tailings at Kilembe mine.
 The positive & negative implications of the waste rocks
and tailings on the environment at Kasese district
 Conclusion, Challenges and Recommendations

3. Background
Copper ore was first discovered
in Kilembe in 1906 by a man
called Ambrose from Italy.
In 1956, first copper wastes
were produced by Facon-
bridge of Canada which
operated the mine.
The reserves were originally
estimated to be 12.7 million
Tonnes out of which 2%
averaged copper and 0.2%
cobalt
From 1974 to 1982, the
Government of Uganda
took over the ownership
of Kilembe Mine.
Kilembe remains not
only attractive as a
copper production area
but also as a cobalt
supplier.
In 2013, Kilembe mine
was privatized to a
Chinese company
called Tibet Hima
mining company for
25 years.

4. Problem statement VS

5. Conceptual framework
Figure 1.1: Conceptual frame work
Management
of the wastes
at the mine
site basing on
the following;
The mining activities
which generate waste
rocks & tailings are
independent variables;
Management &
mitigation measures
that are put in place to
grantee safety are the
immediate variables
Implications that
result from the
mining activities are
dependent variables.

6. Location (research Area)
 Kilembe mine is located at Kasese district in western Uganda, lying north of Lake George.
 Kasese town is the 'chief town' of Kasese District and the headquarters of the Renzururu sub-region.
 It lies at the western end of the Uganda Railway to Kampala and Tororo, and is home to Kasese Airport.
 The city lies near the Rwenzori Mountains and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
 It is located approximately 360 kilometres (220 mi), by road, west of Kampala. 36 kilometres (22 mi), by road,
northeast of Mpondwe, the border town at the International border between Uganda and the DRC.
Population of the area
Sample size
The researcher used up to 10 respondents per group or gender and specialization to represent the whole population of
101,679 mostly the mine workers at Kilembe and in Kasese town.
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
343600
52300
747800
101679
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
POPULATIONFIGURES
YEARS
POPULATION

7. Tools used during the investigation to aid the
research included the following but not limited to;
Interviews, Questionnaires, Observation, Photography, Documentation.
The researcher took time to
understand and analyze the
data collected in order to
accurately extract out valuable
information which enabled the
researcher to easily compile the
findings of the study and
interpreted them
The work was edited by
grouping the data and
checking for the errors in
order to update the data and
reaching recommended
standards.
Encoding the data
by grouping the
information that has
the same ideas
together using
Microsoft word and
excel.
Data analysis

8. CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
Less than 18
14%
18-25
40%
26-33
22%
34-41
14%
42-49
8%
50+
2%
AGE GROUPS AND THE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
OUT OF 50
Less than 18 18-25 26-33 34-41 42-49 50+
Figure 4.3: Age groups of the respondents Figure 4.4: Frequency levels of education for the respondents.
Primary
40%
Secondary
38%
Tertiary
22%
A PIE-CHART SHOWING THE FREQUENCIES OF THE
EDUCATION LEVELS OF THE RESPONDENTS
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary

9. Wastes commonly associated with mining
activities include the following but not limited to;
Chemical Properties
Overburden
Waste rocks
Tailings Slags & Slurry
Mine water
Gaseous wastes
Clay-rich tailings
Types of waste rocks & tailings generated at the mine site at Kilembe
0
-10000
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Tailings&wasterocksinTonns
various types of Tailings & waste rocks
MAJOR TYPES OF TAILINGS AND WASTE
ROCKS PRODUCED AT KILEMBE MINE.
Copper Tailings Iron Ore Tailings Cobalt Tailings
Figure 4.6: Waste rocks piled at mill site in the past (left) and wagons used to
transport them to convenient disposal points (right).

10. Mine water
Figure 4.7: Mine water (left) and pipelines (right) that were used to pump water into the mine at Kilembe.

11. The methods used to depose off waste rocks & tailings at Kilembe mine.
 Backfilling of the waste-rocks into the
underground mines tunnel to get access to an
ore above the miners.
 Dry backfill
 Cemented backfill
 Dumping more or less dry tailings or waste-
rocks onto heaps or hill sides
 Using the tailings & waste-rock for land use,
e.g. as aggregates for restoration
 Discarding tailings into surface water (e.g.
sea, lake, and river) or groundwater.
 Construction industry
 River bank stabilization & diversion of the
river
 Planting Eucalyptus grandis trees, Leucaena
glauca, and Cassia siamea Plants and reeds
along rivers
Figure 4.8: An over view of the mining industry associated with waste rocks
and tailings generation (Source: www.interbasemetals.com).

12. Figure 4.9: The settling basin (left) used to control tailings temporarily at Kilembe mine
and participants of a workshop on climate change (Right) in Kasese (September, 2010)
visit one of the previous stock piles of tailings near Kilembe mines.
Tailings dams are built to retain slurried tailing have many features in common with
water retention dams

13. Positive impacts of the mining industry to the
population at Kasese district. Copper
 Between 1957-1979 a total of 16.29 million tons ore averaging 1.95%
copper & 0.18% cobalt were mined & treated to yield 217,000 tons of
blister copper which was exported.
 1.1 million tons of cobaltiferous pyrite (iron sulphide) was stockpiled
 Copper is mainly used in making electrical conductors, special alloys
for the aerospace industry, electronics and high-tech industry.
 Kasese Cobalt Company has installed a 1,000-tonnes per year plant and
is processing the stockpile concentrates of pyrite.
 Cobalt salts are used in the chemical industry and in tinting glass to
give a blue colour.
 Galena: A mineral containing lead (with minor zinc and gold), occurs
in quartz veins. It is associated with tin (cassiterite) at Kilembe.
 It is used in making motor vehicle batteries and heavy metal shield for
nuclear radiation protection.
 Talc: Occurs at Kisinga, in Kasese district. Talc is used as an extender
in paints, ceramics, radio tubes, refractories, toilet powders, lotions and
face creams.

14. The negative impacts of the mining industry
on the environment at Kasese district
Figure 4.10: President Museveni (left) and
participants (Right) in the workshop for climate
change, visited Kilembe mine’s previous tailing
stockpiles after the severe flooding in the area
(October 2013).
 Copper ‘waste’
poisoning fish in river
Nyamwamba, Lake
Edward, Lake Albert
and Lake George
 Blanketing/suffocating
 Contamination of soil
 Loss of animal life.
 Health risks
 Long food chain: Metals
accumulation in plants
aquatic life and animals
The collapse of a tailing dam can
be fatal or can generate short-term
and long-term problems such as;
Tailings dams are built to retain
slurried tailing
Figure 4.11: The stock-pile of the copper-cobaltiferous
pyrites (Left) along the Kasese-Kilembe road eroded
when River Nyamwamba burst its banks (Right), 2013.

15. Recommendations

16. 14
44
57
5
46
21
4 2
31
39
13 4 2
16
percentagesintonns
Type of minerals exported
The world’s Share of mineral production from
Africa (World Bank Report 2005) percentage
Minerals
exploration and
production
remain a key to
economic
growth in
Africa.
• Africa is richly endowed with mineral reserves
and ranks first or second in world’s reserves of
bauxite, cobalt, industrial diamond, phosphate
rock.
• Gold mining is Africa's main mining resource.

17. “
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I ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PRESENCE
THANK YOU