Kitwe, Zambia (AP)-Zambia’s power and conservationists are afraid of the long-term effect of acid spill in a mine owned by Chinese property, which pollutes a large river and potentially affected millions of people after signs of pollution have been found at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) down the chain.
The spill occurred on February 18, when the Haistings Dam, which holds acid waste from a copper mine in the northern part of the country, collapsed, according to investigators by the engineering institution in Zambia.
The collapse allowed 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved particles and heavy metals to flow into a stream that connects to the Cafi River, the most important waterway of Zambia, said an engineering institution.
“This is an environmental disaster, indeed from catastrophic consequences,” says Chileka Mumba, an environmental activist who works in the province of Zambia’s Copperbelt.
China is the dominant player in copper yield in Zambia, a South African nation, which is among the best 10 copper 10 producers in the world, a key component in smartphones and other technologies.
Zambia President Hakainde Crichilem called for help from experts and said the leak is a crisis that threatens people and wildlife along Kafue, which is moving more than 1500 kilometers (930 miles) through Zambia’s heart.
Authorities are still investigating the degree of environmental damage.
River died overnight
The Associated Press reporter visited parts of the Cafi River, where you can see dead fish were washed on the shore about 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream by a mine, operated by Chinese-metal Leach Zambia, which is a majority owned by the state-owned non-fence group in China.
The Ministry of Development and Sewerage of Water said that “devastating consequences” also include the destruction of crops along the river banks. Authorities are concerned that groundwater will be contaminated when mining waste penetrates into the ground or transferred to other areas.
“Before February 18, it was a vibrant and live river,” says Sean Cornelius, who lives near Kafu and said the fish had died and the bird’s life near him disappeared almost immediately. “Everything is dead now, it’s like a completely dead river. Amazing. This river dies at night. “
About 60% of 20 million people in Zambia live in the Kafu River Basin and depend on it in some way as a source of fishing, irrigation of agriculture and water for industry. The river supplies drinking water to about five million people, including in the capital, Lusaka.
The leakage of acid in the mine caused a complete exclusion of the water supply to the nearby town of Kitve, the home of approximately 700,000 people.
Attempts to cancel damage
The Zambian Government has deployed the Air Force to miss hundreds of tons of lime in the river in an attempt to counteract the acid and return the damage. Speed boats were also used to ride up and down the river, applying lime.
Government spokesman Cornelius Mweetwa said the situation is very serious and the Chinese-metal Leach Zambia will bear the cost of the cleaning operation.
Gian Peyven, chairman of Chinese-metal Leach Zambia, met with government ministers this week and apologized for the spill of the acid, according to a copy of his speech at the meeting published by his company.
“This disaster has looked at great concern about the Chinese-metal Leach and the mining industry,” he said. He said “everything will come out to restore the affected environment as quickly as possible.”
Dissatisfaction with the Chinese presence
Environmental impact on China’s great mining interests in mineral -rich parts of Africa, which include Zambia Congo and Zimbabwe’s neighbors, is often criticized, even when minerals are crucial to the economies of the countries.
The copper mines owned by the Chinese have been accused of ignoring safety, labor and other provisions in Zambia, as they seek to control its offering to the critical mineral, leading to some dissatisfaction with their presence. Zambia was also burdened with more than $ 4 billion in debt to China and had to restructure some of its loans from China and other countries after failure to pay off in 2020.
A smaller leakage of acid waste than another mine owned by Chinese in Zambia’s copper belt was discovered days after the incident with Chinese-metal and authorities accused the smaller mine of trying to hide it.
Local police said a mine worker died at this second mine after falling into acid and claims that the mine continues to work after being instructed to stop his operations by the authorities. Mina’s two Chinese managers have been arrested, police said.
Both mines have now stopped their operations after commandments by the Zambian authorities, while many Zambians are angry.
“It really simply brings out the negligence that some investors actually have when it comes to environmental protection,” says Minene Himinga, an environmental engineer who attends the meeting including Gian, government ministers and more. “They seem to have no concern at all. And I think it’s really disturbing, because at the end of the day, we, as a Zambian people, (this is) the only land we have. “
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Zimba reported from Lusaka, Zambia.
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