Update on the rehabilitation of the Mutuka dyke in Kolwezi by SICOMINES SA

Kinshasa September 18, 2022.- The Sino-Congolese mining company (SICOMINES SA) announces the imminent end of the rehabilitation works of the B6 dike in the Luilu sector in Kolwezi in the province of Lualaba. The structure can be used both for the transport and storage of rainwater.
For SICOMINES SA, this dyke will solve the problem of recurrent flooding and erosion in the Kapata, Mapendo and Mutaka villages, but also prevent the despoliation of the rivers that the first two villages cross.
The lack of maintenance was the basis of many potholes on the surface of the dike and even the collapse of part of the infrastructure. This situation even affected the traffic of the inhabitants because the water from the storage area of the B6 dyke no longer flowed until it blocked the original diversion channel.
SICOMINES SA justifies the financing and execution of this work by its concern for the wellbeing of the surrounding populations. The company and all the communities of Kapata were unanimous on the need to intervene immediately and from mid-August, SICOMINES began to develop the B6 embankment, the Mutaka embankment and the auxiliary roads.
The Mutuka dyke has a total length of 880 meters. At the moment it is practically complete, the outflow side is already reinforced, and the surface of the dike has been raised and levelled.
The construction of a diversion channel from the B6 dike to the Mutaka dike is also underway, we learn.
Once the rehabilitation is complete, Sicomines says that the water from the B6 dike will be diverted to the Mutaka dike, to limit both the risk of overflowing the dam and the threat of flooding on the houses and plantations of the inhabitants living along it. the Kaburungu River.
In addition, SICOMINES SA also announces that it will finance the construction of fourteen small bridges, in accordance with the specifications, to facilitate the mobility of the surrounding populations and their goods.
The Kapata community leader, Mr. Dikumbi, congratulated SICOMINES for the progress of the works made, emphasizing that the population of his village no longer must worry about the B6 dam breaking during the rainy season.
Local notability, Pastor Mukalay, praised, for his part, the friendliness of SICOMINES SA in assuming its societal responsibilities before recalling that when this dike was not yet rehabilitated, it was a danger for the whole community.
Agricultural mechanization and maize planting support projects valued at 350,000 USD on the joint venture’s agenda. Furthermore, this joint venture has reaffirmed another materialization of its social responsibility through the agricultural mechanization and maize planting support projects amounting to 350,000 USD, including the supply of mechanized equipment such as tractors, ploughs, harrows, seed drills and trailers, provision of maize seed and fertilizer, and training of villagers in the operation of agricultural machinery and techniques for maize planting and fertilizer rationing.
SICOMINES SA believes, to this end, that these projects will be able to strengthen the motivation of farmers in the local community and increase the agricultural mechanical workforce while promoting sustainable agricultural development in the local community.
Training on the use of maize seeds and fertilizers is also in full swing, the mining joint venture says, adding that with the help of agricultural mechanization and the support of maize seeds and fertilizers, surrounding communities , through the SICOMINES project, will certainly have a good maize harvest next year.
The source also indicates that SICOMINES finances training for the benefit of surrounding local populations on the use of tractors, ploughs, harrows, fertilizers, and seeds as part of the support and assistance project for farmers registered in the specifications. loads.
DAP INVESTMENT is the facilitator chosen by Sicomines for training farmers and supporting them throughout the cropping year with a view to optimizing yield.
SICOMINES SA, as a reminder, is committed through the specifications signed with the local community of Lualaba, to solve the problems of the populations surrounding this joint venture and to promote the development of the community in all its aspects, so that the fruits of mining development can benefit the surrounding populations, every day more.