Acid spill devastates Zambia’s Kafue River

Africanews (in English)

Acid spill devastates Zambia’s Kafue River  Authorities and environmentalists in Zambia fear the long-term impact of an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine that contaminated the Kafue River  READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/03/15/acid-spill-devastates-zambias-kafue-river  Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.    Africanews is available in English and French.  Website : www.africanews.com  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/  Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews

Transcript

00:00Authorities and environmentalists in Zambia are grappling with the aftermath of a devastating

00:09acid spill caused by a collapsed tailings dam at a Chinese-owned copper mine. The spill,

00:14which occurred on February the 18th, has raised concerns over the long-term impact on the

00:19Kafue River.

00:25When I went to the fish pond, I found that the lime had flowed through the pond and all

00:30the fish had been swept away. I just stood in agony, wondering what I would do about

00:34the money I spent on the project. I stood there watching because there was nothing else

00:38I could do.

00:42The disaster has destroyed not only aquatic life, but also impacted agriculture as fields

00:48of maize and groundnuts were contaminated by the waste.

00:53Prior to the 18th of February, this was a vibrant and alive river. We had cormorants,

01:04we had kingfishers, there was small masangas, the fishing was good. Now, everything is dead.

01:13It's just like a totally dead river. It's unbelievable. Overnight, this river died.

01:20The Kafue River, vital for fishing, agriculture and drinking, is facing a catastrophic disaster,

01:26according to experts.

01:30It is an environmental disaster, really of catastrophic consequence, when we consider

01:40the fact that cyanometals has polluted the river on which millions of people depend for

01:49their livelihoods. We're also talking about wildlife and just the general disturbance

01:56which has been given, even in not just villages, but actual towns.

02:04Local communities are grappling with the loss of livelihoods as the long-term effects of

02:08the acid spill are expected to last for years.

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