9
Sino metals dam breach (www.bbc.com)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/mining@lemmy.ca
comment fedilink hide all child comments
 

A toxic tailings dam at the Chinese-owned Sino Metals copper mine in northern Zambia collapsed in February, releasing at least 50,000 tonnes of acidic waste—possibly far more—into waterways feeding the Kafue River. The spill contaminated drinking water, killed fish, and damaged farmland across the Copperbelt, leaving families without food and exposing them to heavy metals linked to long-term health risks. Farmers report failed crops, illness, and inadequate remediation. China disputes the scale of the disaster, saying acidity levels have stabilised, while Zambia insists it is not soft-pedalling despite owing China about $5bn. A $80bn lawsuit filed by 176 farmers is now seen as a major test of whether African states can hold Chinese companies accountable. Compensation so far has been uneven, and cleanup efforts are slow. With US interest in Zambia rising, analysts say the geopolitical balance may give Zambia more leverage, but unresolved pollution threatens communities for years.

other discussions
58
Devastating toxic spill seen as test of whether African countries can stand up to China (www.bbc.com)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/world@lemmy.world
comment fedilink hide all child comments
 

Even before the dam collapsed, Lamec did not feel safe working at the copper mine.

"If our work protective gear gets damaged, it is not always replaced," he tells us. "We have to take a risk and use it again."

He is talking to the BBC in a car on a quiet backroad near a village in northern Zambia, too nervous to speak to us in public or to use his real name, for fear that speaking to the press might cost him his livelihood.

When he turned up for his shift one day in February, he tells us, he found that one of the dams at the Chinese-owned mine had been closed.

The tailings dam - used to store toxic by-products from the copper mining process, including heavy metals like arsenic, mercury and lead - had collapsed into a tributary connected to the Kafue, Zambia's longest river and a major drinking water source.

At least 50,000 tonnes of acidic debris spilled out into the surrounding waterways and farmland, according to the government. Some environmentalists, however, claim as much as 1.5 million tonnes was spilled, with one expert saying a full clean-up could take longer than a decade.