A river ‘died' overnight in Zambia after an acidic waste spill at a
Chinese-owned mine
[March 15, 2025] By
RICHARD KILLE and JACOB ZIMBA
KITWE, Zambia (AP) — 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 kilometers
(60 miles) downstream.
The spill happened on Feb. 18 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 liters 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 kilometers (930 miles) through the
heart of Zambia.
Authorities are still investigating the extent of the environmental
damage.
A river died overnight
An Associated Press reporter visited parts of the Kafue River, where
dead fish could be seen washing up on the banks about 100 kilometers (60
miles) 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 ground water 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.
Attempts to roll back the damage
The Zambian government has deployed the air force to drop hundreds of
tons 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.
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This image taken from video Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, shows a breach
at a tailing dam at a Sino-Metals Leach Zambia mine near Kitwe. (AP
Photo/Richard Kille )
 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 apologized 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."
Discontent with Chinese presence
The environmental impact of China's large mining interests in
mineral-rich parts of Africa, which include Zambia's neighbors Congo
and Zimbabwe, has often been criticized, even as the minerals are
crucial to the countries' economies.
Chinese-owned copper mines have been accused of ignoring safety,
labor and other regulations in Zambia as they strive to control its
supply of the critical mineral, leading to some discontent with
their presence. Zambia is also burdened with more than $4 billion in
debt to China and had to restructure some of its loans from China
and other nations after defaulting on repayments in 2020.
A smaller acid waste leak from another Chinese-owned mine in
Zambia's copper belt was discovered days after the Sino-Metals
accident, and authorities have accused the smaller mine of
attempting to hide it.
Local police said a mine worker died at that second mine after
falling into acid and alleged that the mine continued to operate
after being instructed to stop its operations by authorities. Two
Chinese mine managers have been arrested, police said.
Both mines have now halted their operations after orders from
Zambian authorities, while many Zambians are angry.
“It really just brings out the negligence that some investors
actually have when it comes to environmental protection,” said
Mweene Himwinga, an environmental engineer who attended the meeting
involving Zhang, government ministers, and others. “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.”
___
Zimba reported from Lusaka, Zambia.
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