Zambia: Mining runoff sparks water safety fears

By Francis Maingaila

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) – Mining, and copper mining in particular, has long been the powerhouse of the economy of Zambia, a land-locked country in southern Africa, with copper amounting to 75-85 percent of the country’s exports, according to official figures.

But at what cost? Millions in exports, and thousands of jobs, but what if the people’s very source of life is being compromised, in the form of polluted water?

Boyd Muleya, 49, an ex-miner in Chingola, a city in Zambia’s Copperbelt province, complains of mining companies not only polluting the source of water, but also denying people the right to fresh water and a clean environment, accusing the Zambian government of doing little to protect the people from mining firms endangering lives.

Muleya told Anadolu Agency that families living in places that see extensive mining are facing serious health challenges from water, food, and air pollution due to mining activities.

“The government has done little or nothing to protect the rights of people not only to good health, but also to living in a clean environment and access to fresh running water,” said Muleya.

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), an independent environmental regulator and coordinating established through an act of parliament, has accused mining companies of polluting the Kafue River, the main source of drinking water for communities in the north-central Copperbelt province, Zambia’s second-largest by population, aptly named for the minerals in its soil.

Earlier this month ZEMA spokesman Irene Lungu-Chipili told journalists that it is investigating seven mining companies believed to be responsible for discharging effluents into the Mwambishi stream, a tributary of the Kafue, the longest river situated wholly inside Zambia.

“We have written to seven mining firms, including Mopani Copper Mine [MCM], Konkola Copper Mine [KCM], and Non-Ferrous Copper Mine [NFCM] to inform them of the development.”

“At this point, we have not yet determined which company is polluting the river,” she added.

For the time being, Chipili indicated, all seven mining concerns on the Copperbelt are considered responsible for discharging effluents into the Mwambashi, leading to the pollution of the Kafue.

“As a result of this pollution, the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company [NWSC] was forced to shut down its plant that supplies water to Copperbelt communities.”

-To drink or not to drink?

The shutdown of water plants of the Copperbelt towns of Kitwe, Kalulushi, Chambishi, and Chingola was confirmed by Bivan Saluseki, spokesman for the water company.

“The NWSC would like to inform our valued customers that the water supply has been disrupted in five towns on the Copperbelt due to elevated levels of sulfates into Kafue River. This resulted in some of our service areas experiencing erratic water supply,” Saluseki told journalists in a statement.

Saluseki, however, gave reassurances that the NWSC is monitoring the situation and would ensure that the water supply is not only restored but is also safe for consumption.

But some Copperbelt resident expressed fear that using water from the Kafue is not yet safe.

“Since the water was polluted, we have resorted to collecting drinking water from shallow pit wells and watercourses for home use, including washing clothes and cooking,” Marble Chibale told Anadolu Agency.

“As for drinking water, we beg our friends who have boreholes [to underground wells], and they let us draw it for a fee,” she added.

Similarly, local resident Munyumbwe Humphrey told Anadolu Agency that it will take people in his neighborhood a long time to begin using water from the taps because they know that it is not safe.

Some medical practitioners agreed with the villagers’ suspicions.

Dr. Manasseh Phiri told Anadolu Agency that in the past hundreds of people fell sick after not only eating fish poisoned by the polluted water, but also drinking water after they were told it was safe.

“After this disaster, some farmers took legal action against the mining companies demanding compensation after their crops dried up after being irrigated by water from the polluted river.”

-Enforcement

Under Zambian law, environmental management is a vital component of mining, and all mining firms are obliged to prepare detailed environmental impact assessments indicating how they will minimize environmental problems such as air and water pollution. Errant companies face prosecution, fines, or the cancellation of their operating licenses.

But the University of Zambia’s Bayani Choolwe told Anadolu Agency that violators are rarely punished, blaming the nation’s continuing water problem on this lack of enforcement.

“We are deeply concerned at the manner in which our mining companies violate environmental laws. Our laws are sufficient, but implementation is the biggest problem.”

But earlier this month, Kitwe District Commissioner (DC) Chanda Kabwe warned that mining companies that make a habit of discharging poisonous effluents into the river will no longer go unpunished.

“The government is aware that some mining companies have made a habit of discharging poisonous effluents into the river,” he told journalists at a media conference. “I wish to sound a warning that those that will be found wanting will face harsh punishment.”