CIMERWA factory
Eighteen families in Rusizi district have been relieved from fear for negative health effects due to proximity to CIMERWA – Rwanda’s cement factory.
Juvenal Rutaganda, the Strategic Initiative Manager of Cimerwa said on Wednesday, “local community living around the factory was affected by our mining activities.”
In 2015 factory sought advice from authorities and the team visited the site and recommended that people living within 300 meters from the blasting line should leave the place.
“CIMERWA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rusizi district to construct 18 houses to relocate the affected families.”
The plant spent about Rwf200 million in construction of a model village where the families were relocated to start new life free of pollution and other potential hazards.
The houses through collaboration with district authorities, are constructed in 5 blocks of 4-in-one.
Each block accommodates 4 families and has a living room and 3 bedrooms.
According to Rusizi district mayor Frederic Harelimana, Cimerwa made a payment of Rwf153, 884,719 in cash and 5,269 bags of cement.
“The houses were constructed on land provided by the district of Rusizi, in Bugarama Sector, Ryankana Cell and it is the place allocated to model houses in Rusizi,” the mayor said.
CIMERWA is 51% owned by PPC Ltd – a Southern Africa’s largest cement producer.
The factory has invested $170 million in a new modern dry process production plant at its head office in Bugarama with a capacity to turn out of 600,000 tons per year.
