An Assessment of the Risk Communication, Community Perceptions and Lived Experiences of Residents Living Around the Mine Despite Its Adverse Effects

Abstract

The study aimed to establish whether Maamba Collieries Limited, a mining company in the Sinazongwe District of Zambia contributes to risk communication (advancing knowledge about risk issues, influencing risk-related behavior, and facilitating cooperative resolution). The study adopted an Evaluative Survey Design and employed both quantitative and qualitative methods to complement data analysis. It also explored the extent to which risk messages influence people’s lives by modeling the relationships between risk-related emotive and cognitive contexts in which these factors are embedded. The research employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. The sample size for the study comprised 180 people living around the mine area, 17 Maamba Collieries Limited employees in their capacity, and 3 from Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). The study used purposive sampling (non-probability) to ensure the inclusion of relevant individuals from pertinent categories