Zambia Faces Environmental Crisis After Copper Mine Waste Spill
A massive waste spill from a Chinese-owned copper mine in Zambia has raised serious environmental and health concerns, with authorities fearing long-term damage to the Kafue River, the country’s most vital waterway.
According to an investigation by the Engineering Institution of Zambia, approximately 50 million liters of waste—containing concentrated acid, dissolved solids, and heavy metals—spilled from the Chambishi copper mine into streams that feed into the Kafue River.
The incident occurred on February 18 when a tailings dam at the mine, operated by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, collapsed. The company is majority-owned by China Nonferrous Metals Industry Group, a state-owned enterprise.
The spill has alarmed Zambian authorities, including President Hakainde Hichilema, who described the situation as a crisis threatening both people and wildlife along the Kafue.
The Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation also warned of potentially devastating consequences, including groundwater contamination and crop destruction along the riverbanks.
Journalists from the Associated Press who visited affected areas reported seeing dead fish washing up on the riverbanks nearly 100 kilometers downstream from the mine.
The Kafue River basin is home to about 60% of Zambia’s population and provides drinking water to five million people, including those in the capital, Lusaka.
The acid spill has already forced authorities to shut down the water supply in Kitwe, a city of approximately 700,000 residents.
The chairman of Sino-Metals Leach Zambia recently met with Zambian officials to apologize for the disaster. According to a company statement, he pledged that the company “will go all out to restore the affected environment as quickly as possible.”
