Zambia: Acidic waste spill at Chinese-owned mine 'kills' river

Authorities and environmentalists in Zambia fear the long-term impact of an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine that contaminated a major river and could potentially affect millions of people after signs of pollution were detected at least 100 kilometres downstream.The spill happened on 18 February when a tailings dam that holds acidic waste from a copper mine in the north of the country collapsed, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia.The collapse allowed some 50 million litres of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved solids and heavy metals to flow into a stream that links to the Kafue River, Zambia’s most important waterway, the engineering institution said.“It is an environmental disaster really of catastrophic consequences,” said Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental activist who works in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province.China is the dominant player in copper mining in Zambia, a southern African nation which is among the world’s top 10 producers of copper, a key component in smartphones and other technology.Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema called for help from experts and said the leak is a crisis that threatens people and wildlife along the Kafue, which runs for more than 1 500 kilometres through the heart of Zambia.Authorities are still investigating the extent of the environmental damage.A river died overnightAn Associated Press reporter visited parts of the Kafue River, where dead fish could be seen washing up on the banks about 100 kilometres downstream from the mine run by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, which is majority owned by the state-run China Nonferrous Metals Industry Group.The ministry of water development and sanitation said the “devastating consequences” also included the destruction of crops along the river’s banks. Authorities are concerned that groundwater will be contaminated as the mining waste seeps into the earth or is carried to other areas.“Prior to the 18th of February, this was a vibrant and alive river,” said Sean Cornelius, who lives near the Kafue and said fish died and birdlife near him disappeared almost immediately. “Now everything is dead; it’s like a totally dead river. Unbelievable. Overnight, this river died.”About 60% of Zambia’s 20 million people live in the Kafue River basin and depend on it in some way as a source of fishing, irrigation for agriculture and water for industry. The river supplies drinking water to about five million people, including in the capital, Lusaka.The acid leak at the mine caused a complete shutdown of the water supply to the nearby city of Kitwe, home to an estimated 700 000 people.The Zambian government has deployed the air force to drop hundreds of tonnes of lime into the river in an attempt to counteract the acid and roll back the damage. Speed boats have also been used to ride up and down the river, applying lime.Government spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa said the situation was very serious and Sino-Metals Leach Zambia would bear the costs of the cleanup operation.Zhang Peiwen, the chairman of Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, met with government ministers this week and apologised for the acid spill, according to a transcript of his speech at the meeting released by his company.“This disaster has rung a big alarm for Sino-Metals Leach and the mining industry,” he said. He said it “will go all out to restore the affected environment as quickly as possible.”

Zambia: Acidic waste spill at Chinese-owned mine 'kills' river

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-19

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Zambia: Acidic waste spill at Chinese-owned mine 'kills' river

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-19

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