Another mining-linked pollution incident raises alarm over Zambia’s Kafue River

A Zambian government order has been issued demanding a copper mining company to inspect its facilities for signs of deterioration and clean up pollution that has affected the Kafue River. The order, which came after downstream residents reported alterations in the river's hue, flavor, and odor on September 28, also mandates Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to bear the expense of laboratory testing and related costs.

The contamination was discovered to be originating from a ruptured pipe at KCM's tailings leach plant and a spill from a pollution control dam on the Mushishima Stream, a smaller stream that feeds into the Kafue. The company refutes claims of culpability, asserting that it observed and notified local authorities of the river's discoloration.

The incident has reignited worry over frequent contamination in the Kafue, which Misozi Ngulube, director-general of Zambia's Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA), has dubbed the nation's most contaminated water body. In February 2025, a rupture in a tailings dam owned by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, also situated on the Kafue, discharged over 50 million liters (13 million gallons) of hazardous sludge into a tributary, killing fish more than 60 miles downstream, damaging crops, and disrupting local water supplies.

Three instances of minor illness were reported by the government, but the occurrence heightened broader concerns for people and wildlife. Ngulube told Mongabay that the Kafue's pollution is predominantly due to agriculture, industry, and mining activities. She stated that WARMA has obtained a water-quality monitoring system and is striving towards real-time pollution detection. However, monitoring alone is insufficient...