How did a Zambian river 'die' overnight due to a Chinese company?
By : Sandhya
After evidence of contamination was found at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream, Zambian authorities and environmentalists are concerned about the long-term effects of an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine that poisoned a major river and may have an impact on millions of people.
The spill happened on Feb. 18 when a tailings dam that holds acidic waste from a copper mine in the north of the country collapsed, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia.
According to the engineering institute, the collapse caused over 50 million liters of trash including heavy metals, dissolved sediments, and concentrated acid to pour into a stream that connects to the Kafue River, Zambia's most significant waterway. Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental campaigner in Zambia's Copperbelt Province, stated, "It is an environmental disaster really of catastrophic consequences."