A mine polluted a Zambian river in 2025: Residents continue to live with the impacts
One and a half years after the collapse of a large tailings dam in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, the environmental and human impacts of the toxic spill continue to affect residents, civil society members have told Mongabay. The dam, which is used to store mining waste and is owned by Chinese copper company Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, […]
A massive tailings dam collapse in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province occurred one and a half years ago, causing ongoing environmental and human harm, according to civil society members. The dam, belonging to Chinese copper company Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, ruptured on February 18, 2025, in the town of Chambishi, releasing contaminated water into nearby rivers connected to the Kafue River.
The Kafue River, 1,576 kilometers (979 miles) long and entirely within Zambia, serves as a vital water source for millions of people. A study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances in May 2026 by researchers from Zambia’s Copperbelt University was the first independent scientific evaluation of the incident's ecological impact.
The research revealed severely degraded water quality, elevated levels of heavy metals in water, fish, sediments, and pastures, and evidence of toxic substances infiltrating the food chain. The Kafue River system supplies water to nearly half of Zambia’s population and nourishes biodiversity-rich wetlands like the Lukanga Swamp and the Kafue Flats.
The scientists gathered water samples from five sites in the affected region and one unaffected site for comparison shortly after the accident. Their analysis of these samples demonstrated that heavy metal concentrations, including copper, iron, zinc, lead, and arsenic, surpassed safe levels.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
