Acid runoff from a Chinese-owned mine has polluted a Zambian river, resulting in what's been called "catastrophic consequences."
Why it Matters
The spill puts a spotlight on the prominence of Chinese firms in Zambia's production of copper, critical for the manufacture of smartphones and other electronic devices. Zambia, the second-largest copper producer in Africa and among the top 10 globally, depends on the metal as a key export.
Chinese-owned copper mines in Zambia have faced accusations of violating labor laws, safety regulations, and environmental standards. The country's heavy debt burden includes $4 billion owed to China, forcing Zambia to restructure some of these loans in 2023 after defaulting on payments.
Newsweek reached out to Zambia's Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation and China's Foreign Ministry with emailed requests for comment.
What To Know
The collapse of a tailings dam—an earth-filled embankment used to store mining waste—on February 18 released an estimated 50 million liters of waste into the Kafue River, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia.
Some 60 percent of the country's 20 million people live in the Kafue River basin and rely on the nearly 1,000-mile waterway, whether for agriculture, industrial use, or fishing.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema called the incident a crisis, warning that it threatened both wildlife and people's livelihoods.
The disaster prompted Kitwe, a nearby city of around 700,000 residents, to completely shut down its water supply.
To counter the acid, The Zambian authorities have airdropped hundreds of tons of lime into the river.
Images taken soon after the spill show masses of dead fish washed up on the banks of the Kafue River, as far as 60 miles downstream from the mine. The facility is owned by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, a firm majority-owned by the Chinese state-run China Nonferrous Metals Industry Group.
"before the 18th of February this was a vibrant and alive river," a local resident Sean Cornelius said. "Now everything is dead, it's like a totally dead river. Unbelievable. Overnight, this river died."
Government spokesperson Cornelius Mweetaw stressed the seriousness of the situation and said Sino-Metals Leach Zambia would be made to pay for the cleanup.
Green Economy and Environment Minister Mike Mposha said a recent report suggested the spread of the acidic contamination had been brought under control and that a team continues to monitor PH levels, local media reported Friday.
During remarks in parliament, he stressed Sino Metals had been ordered to compensate all affected farmers and consumers.
What's Been Said
Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental activist, told The Associated Press: "It is an environmental disaster really of catastrophic consequences."
Mweene Himwinga, environmental engineer, said: "It really just brings out the negligence that some investors actually have when it comes to environmental protection. They don't seem to have any concern at all, any regard at all. And I think it's really worrying because at the end of the day, we as Zambian people, [it's] the only land we have."
Zhang Peiwen, chairman, Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, said: "This disaster has rung a big alarm for Sino-Metals Leach and the mining industry [ …] "[The company] "will go all out to restore the affected environment as quickly as possible."
Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation Zambia, said in a press release: The pollution has had devastating consequences, including significant loss of aquatic life, destruction of crops along the affected water bodies.
What's Next?
The Zambian government ordered the mining company to cease operations at three of its dams following the breach, the Zambia Monitor cited Mposha as saying. They will be allowed to resume once repairs to the damaged embankment are completed.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
