How a Chinese company destroyed a vital river in Zambia overnight
20 March 08:49
A catastrophic acid spill from a copper mine owned by a Chinese company has led to widespread pollution of Zambia’s most important waterway, the Kafue River. The incident, which occurred on February 18, has caused a wave of concern in the southern African country and may have long-term consequences for millions of people and the environment. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to The Independent.
According to investigators from the Zambian Engineering Authority, the environmental disaster was caused by the collapse of the tailings dam at the mine. This dam, designed to contain acidic waste, released approximately 50 million liters of toxic substances into the stream that feeds the Kafue River. The toxic waste is a dangerous mixture of concentrated acid, dissolved solids, and heavy metals.
The Kafue River, which stretches for more than 1,500 kilometers through the heart of Zambia, supports a vast ecosystem and provides water for millions of people. Contamination has already been detected at least 100 kilometers downstream from the spill site, raising serious concerns about the long-term impact on both people and wildlife.
“This is an environmental disaster of truly catastrophic consequences,”
– described the situation Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental activist working in the Copperbelt province.
“The river died overnight”
An Associated Press correspondent visited parts of the Kafue River where dead fish could be seen washing ashore about 100 km downstream from a mine operated by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, a company owned by China‘s state-owned China Nonferrous Metals Industry Group.
The Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation reported “devastating consequences” that also include the destruction of crops along the river banks. Authorities are concerned that groundwater will be contaminated as mine waste seeps into the ground or is transported to other areas.
“Until February 18, it was a lively and living river. Now everything is dead, it’s a completely dead river. It’s unbelievable. This river died overnight,”
– said Sean Cornelius, who lives near Kafue and testified that the fish died and the birds in the area disappeared almost instantly.
About 60% of Zambia’s 20 million people live in the Kafue River basin and depend on it for fishing, irrigation for agriculture and water for industry. The river provides drinking water for about five million people, including residents of the capital, Lusaka.
An acid leak at the mine caused a complete shutdown of water supply to the nearest town of Kitwe, home to about 700,000 people.
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Attempts to overcome the consequences of the disaster
The Zambian government has brought in the air force to dump hundreds of tons of lime into the river in an effort to neutralize the acid and reduce the damage. Speedboats are also being used to ply the river, dispersing the lime.
Government spokesperson Cornelius Mwetwa said the situation is very serious and Sino-Metals Leach Zambia will bear the cost of the cleanup operation.
Zhang Peiwen, Chairman of Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, met with government ministers this week and apologized for the acid spill.
“This disaster has sent a serious message to Sino-Metals Leach and the mining industry. The company will make every effort to restore the affected environment as soon as possible,”
– he said.
Dissatisfaction with the Chinese presence
The environmental impact of China’s mining companies in mineral-rich regions of Africa is often criticized, despite the fact that these minerals are crucial to the economies of these countries.
Chinese-owned copper mines have been accused of ignoring safety, labor, and other regulations in Zambia, leading to resentment of their presence.
Zambia is also saddled with more than $4 billion in debt to China and was forced to restructure some of its loans from China and other countries after defaulting on payments in 2020.
A smaller leak of acid waste from another Chinese-owned mine in Zambia’s copper belt was discovered days after the Sino-Metals accident, and authorities accused the smaller mine of trying to cover it up.
Local police reported that a mine worker died here after falling into acid and claimed that the mine continued to operate after authorities ordered it to shut down. Two Chinese mine managers have been arrested, police said.
Both mines have now ceased operations on the orders of the Zambian authorities. Meanwhile, many Zambians are outraged.
“This really shows the negligence that some investors are showing towards environmental protection. They don’t seem to have any concern, any respect at all. And I think that’s really worrying because at the end of the day, we as Zambian people only have this land,”
– said Mweene Himwinga, an environmental engineer who attended the meeting with Sino-Metals Leach Zambia chairman Zhang Peiwen, government ministers and others.
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