AngloGold to improve environmental performance

Obuasi, May 8, GNA - AngloGold Ashanti has drafted five environmental guidelines on air quality, water and land managements to help improve the environmental performance of the company. Other guidelines are on chemical usage and waste management. These guidelines are expected to be adopted this year by the company, which operates across the world.

In its 2006 report on the environment, AngloGold Ashanti hoped to develop other guidelines such as incident reporting, biodiversity and mine closure planning to further enhance the company's environmental performance.

The report said targets had been set at an operational level and varied from site to site depending on specific operational conditions and circumstances.

"These targets are key elements of the company's implementation of the ISO 14001 which focuses on environmental management systems". The report said the company's environmental policy and strategy is overseen by a board committee that meets quarterly to discuss safety, health and sustainable development. It said the company recognized that the long-term sustainability of its business depended on good stewardship in both the protection of the environment and the efficient management of the exploration and extraction of mineral resources.

"We will comply with all applicable environmental laws, regulations and requirements and we are committed to establishing and maintaining management systems to identify, monitor and control the environmental aspects of our activities", the report stressed. The report said water-related issues were identified as highly significant in the strategic review of the company's Obuasi Mine completed towards the end of 2005. The report therefore said management of discharges from the tailings dams and storm water control around the plants would be among the most important elements in the implementation of the environmental management system.