The South African state of Zambia is facing a real environmental disaster. There has been a major leak in the country at a copper mine where a company from China. As the publication informs Gazeta.Pl this has already led to the destruction of crops and the discovery of dead fish.
The acid leak occurred at the Zambian copper mine, the controlling stake of which belongs to the state-owned Chinese company Nonferrous Metals Industry Group. The authorities and environmentalists of the country fear the long-term consequences of the leakage of acid that polluted the river. The effects of pollution have been detected at least 100 kilometers downstream and could potentially affect the lives of millions of people.
About 50 million liters of waste containing acid and heavy metals got into the water. At first, they poured into a stream that connects to the most important waterway of Zambia — the Kafue River.
“This is a real environmental disaster with catastrophic consequences,” said Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental activist from Zambia.
The country‘s president Hakainde Hichilema has already appealed to the investor company for help, saying that a leak at a Chinese mine threatens people and wildlife along the entire Kafue River. According to him, about 5 million Zambians get their drinking water from Kaufe.
“Now everything is dead, it’s like a completely dead river. It’s unbelievable. Overnight, this river died,” said Sean Cornelius, who lives near the Kafue River.
