A court has ordered mining firm Vulcan Mozambique to suspend all extraction work in part of its coal mining complex in the town of Moatize, in Tete province, after locals and campaign groups complained about severe air and water pollution from the mine.
In an order dated 18 December, the provincial administrative court of Tete gave Vulcan 72 hours to stop mining in sections 4 and 6 of the Moatize mine, and also ordered it to take steps within 90 days to reduce the levels of pollution in several neighbourhoods of the town, which is built around the mine.
