Zambians pay price amid Copperbelt mining boom
Deutsche Welle
February 23, 2026
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Zambians are grappling with the dual impact of economic opportunity and environmental harm as mining activity surges across the Copperbelt region. While global demand for copper, driven by the shift toward sustainable energy technologies, has fueled business growth in areas like Kitwe, Luanshya, Mufulira, and Chingola, locals face severe consequences from unchecked pollution and contamination. A major incident in February 2025, where an acid spill from the Chinese-owned Sino-Metals Leach Zambia operation contaminated a river critical to the Kafue River watershed, highlighted the risks of unregulated mining activity. This event not only destroyed crops and killed fish but also raised concerns about long-term health impacts and ecological damage.
Environmental activists have long warned about the dangers of pollution, heavy metal exposure, and land displacement in mining areas. Communities near farmlands and villages continue to suffer as mines encroach on their lands, with leaks and spills creating hazardous conditions for nearby residents. The loss of agricultural land has particularly
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Originally published on Deutsche Welle on 2/23/2026