In February, a South African environmental services firm named Drizit was brought in to address a toxic waste spill from Chinese-owned copper mines in Zambia. On Friday, the company claimed that the mine’s operators were concealing the true scale of the environmental damage caused by the incident.
The spill took place on February 18 at a mine in Zambia’s Copper Belt Province, owned by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, a part of China’s state-run non-ferrous metal mining group. The spill resulted from failures in the dam that holds “tailings,” or toxic byproducts from copper mining, releasing over 50 million liters of hazardous chemicals into streams that lead to the Kahue River.
The Kahue River serves as the primary water source for local fish, wildlife, crops, and around 12 million people living in the region. Environmental advocates have termed the incident a “catastrophic ecological disaster,” expressing concerns that it could effectively devastate the river. Following the spill, numerous dead fish appeared along the banks, and local crops continued to decline.
Chinese mining operations in Africa often face criticism for lax safety standards and exploitative labor practices. Critics of China’s presence in Zambia have accused the government of covering up these issues, presumably to protect the substantial investments made by China in Zambian mining and infrastructure.
Sino-Metals offered apologies for the leak and committed to a focused cleanup effort, with support from the Zambian government. They plan to deploy military aircraft and speedboats to distribute lime in the river to neutralize the harmful chemicals.
However, these reassurances did not appease the US embassy in Zambia, which issued a health warning on August 6, advising American officials to steer clear of contaminated zones. The embassy’s alert highlighted the “risks posed by widespread contamination of water and soil from toxic heavy metals that could be traced to harmful and potentially carcinogenic substances” potentially released into the atmosphere.
The Zambian government disagreed with the embassy’s stance, asserting that there was “absolutely no reason to panic.” Cornelius Muetova, a government spokesman, stated, “As of now, the immediate threats to human, animal, and plant life are under control. Any serious public health, water safety, agricultural, and environmental risks are managed.”
Despite this, the Finnish embassy in Zambia reached a similar conclusion to that of the US. In April, it declared that the pollution of the Kahue River is “among the most significant environmental crises Zambia has ever faced.”
Finland has also expressed interest in Zambia’s copper sector and has offered assistance in reducing mining pollution risks.
Drizit announced that it had signed a contract with Sino-Metals Leach Zambia to help with cleanup and investigate the spill. The South African company reported that approximately 1.5 million tons of toxic substances were released in the February incident—over 30 times what Sino-Metals had initially admitted.
According to Drizit, they collected 3,500 soil and water samples from the affected area, most of which showed dangerously high levels of toxins like cyanide, arsenic, copper, zinc, lead, chromium, and cadmium. Exposure to these toxins poses serious health risks, including organ failure, cancer, and congenital disabilities.
Drizit stated that it ended its contract with Sino-Metals after providing a copy of its report on the incident, which was submitted the day following their termination.
Sino-Metals responded by claiming the contract was terminated due to a “breach of contract” by Drizit, disputing the accuracy of the damage report and stating they would hire a different company for a new assessment.
Drizit vehemently rejected Sino-Metals’ allegations as “false and defamatory,” asserting they were based on the report’s findings.
“Drizit has initiated legal action to recover significant unpaid expenses for independently funded evaluations and additional legal costs incited by Sino-Metals’ behavior,” the firm stated.
Residents in contaminated areas, along with local civil society groups, have criticized the Zambian government for allegedly collaborating with China to downplay the damage from the leak. Many have noted that little has been done to restore the critical Kahue River, while the minimal compensation offered by the Chinese firm—driven by Zambian officials—is labeled “inhumane,” equating to less than $90 for farmers who lost livestock and entire crops.
Several community groups from the Kahue River basin have signaled their intention to sue Sino-Metals for over $200 million in damages. They are also advocating for the establishment of an Environmental Impact Fund, amounting to at least $9.7 billion.
