Environmentalists and government officials fear millions of people in Zambia could be harmed by an acid spill from a Chinese-owned mine. The spill dumped over 13 million gallons of toxic waste into a stream flowing into the African nation's ongest river. The spill happened on February 18. So far, it has led to a large fish kill along the Kafue River. This occurred about 60 miles away from the site. The Zambian government fears the spill could wreak even more damage to crops and livestock. It fears for the safety of people who live along the river too. Roughly 12 million people live in the Kafue River basin. That's about 60% of the country’s population. “It is an environmental disaster,” Chilekwa Mumba told The Associated Press (AP). Mumba is an environmental activist. “Prior to the 18th of February this was a vibrant and alive river,” Sean Cornelius told the AP. He lives in the region. He said that fish quickly died. He said birds also vanished after the spill. “Now everything is dead, it’s like a totally dead river. Unbelievable. Overnight, this river died,” he told the AP. The spill shut down water service for the city of Kitwe. Roughly 700,000 people live there. It also forced the short-term closing of Copperbelt University. The government has dumped hundreds of tons of lime from boats and planes to neutralize the acid in the water. Zhang Peiwen apologized for the spill. He is chairman of Sino-Metals Leach Zambia. That's the company that runs the mine. Peiwen also vowed to pay for its cleanup. China maintains a heavy investment of $3.5 billion in Zambia. It has over 20 mining sites there. It has been accused of skirting the nation’s safety and labor laws while mining copper. The mineral is used in smartphones and other tech equipment. Reflect: How might environmental disasters affect the daily lives of people in a community? Photo of trees along the bank of the Kafue River from Wikimedia Commons courtesy of Timothy A. Gonsalves.
