Victims of Zambia’s worst toxic mining disaster are demanding $420 million in compensation from Chinese-owned Sino Metals Leach Zambia as new evidence suggests the February spill was far more severe than initially reported.
Two legal firms representing affected communities in Kalusale have submitted formal claims to the company, citing long-term health risks and environmental devastation.
According to media reports here on Tuesday, Malisa & Partners Legal Practitioners requested $220 million in interim compensation to relocate 47 households, conduct medical testing and restore livelihoods.
Malambo & Co. demanded $200 million to establish an emergency fund for residents exposed to the spill.
The disaster occurred on 18 February when a waste dam at Sino Metals’ copper-processing plant near Kitwe collapsed, releasing an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of acidic, metal-laden sludge into tributaries of the Kafue River.
The river supplies drinking water and irrigation to over half of Zambia’s 21 million people.
Environmental firm Drizit, contracted by Sino Metals to assess the damage, reported last week that 900,000 cubic metres of toxic tailings remain in the environment.
“These materials were found to contain dangerous levels of cyanide, arsenic, copper, zinc, lead, chromium, cadmium, and other pollutants posing significant long-term health risks, including organ damage, birth defects, and cancer,” it said.
The company was dismissed by Sino Metals one day before submitting its final report, with the mining firm citing contractual breaches and disputing the findings.
The spill temporarily shut down Kitwe’s water supply and killed fish over 100 kilometres downstream.
Crops along the riverbanks were destroyed and groundwater contamination has raised alarm among health officials who have advised citizens to avoid the area.
President Hakainde Hichilema has called the incident a national crisis and appealed for international expertise to assist with the cleanup.
While the Zambian government initially downplayed the threat, it later confirmed the presence of heavy metals in water samples and is now seeking a new firm to conduct a fresh environmental assessment.
Sino Metals Leach Zambia, a subsidiary of the state-run China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group, acknowledged receipt of the compensation letters but has declined to comment further.
JN/APA