27 Mar 2024
DRC: Report spotlights toxic environmental, health and social impacts of cobalt mining including gynaecological and reproductive repercussions, incl. co. responses
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Mar 2024
Location: Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)
Companies
Kamoto Copper Company (JV between Glencore (75%) and Gecamines (25%)) - Parent CompanyProjects
Glencore - KCC Cobalt & Copper Mine(s) in DRC (Mine Name Unknown)Affected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Ecosystem: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Community: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Children: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Women: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported )Issues
Violation of environmental safety standards , Impacts on Livelihoods , Personal Health , Access to Water , Water pollution , Air pollution , Soil pollution , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment , Impact AssessmentSource type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Mar 2024
Location: Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)
Companies
Metalkol SA (part of ERG) - Subsidiary , Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) - Parent CompanyProjects
Metalkol RTR ProjectAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Ecosystem: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Community: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Children: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Women: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported )Issues
Access to Water , Water pollution , Air pollution , Soil pollution , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment , Impacts on Livelihoods , Violation of environmental safety standards , Personal Health , Impact AssessmentSource type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Mar 2024
Location: Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)
Companies
Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) (Joint venture between CMOC (80%) and Gecamines (20%)) - Parent CompanyProjects
Tenke FungurumeAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Ecosystem: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Community: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Children: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Women: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported )Issues
Access to Water , Water pollution , Soil pollution , Air pollution , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment , Impact Assessment , Violation of environmental safety standards , Impacts on Livelihoods , Personal HealthSource type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Mar 2024
Location: Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)
Companies
Ruashi Mining SAS (JV between Metorex (75%) and Gecamines (25%)) - Parent CompanyProjects
MusonoiAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Ecosystem: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Community: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Children: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Women: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported )Issues
Access to Water , Water pollution , Air pollution , Soil pollution , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment , Impact Assessment , Violation of environmental safety standards , Impacts on Livelihoods , Personal HealthSource type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Mar 2024
Location: Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)
Companies
Mutanda Mining - Subsidiary , Glencore - Parent CompanyProjects
MutandaAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Ecosystem: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Community: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Children: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported ) , Women: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported )Issues
Access to Water , Water pollution , Soil pollution , Air pollution , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment , Impact Assessment , Violation of environmental safety standards , Impacts on Livelihoods , Personal HealthSource type: NGO
" New report exposes the environmental and human costs of DRC’s cobalt boom" 27 March 2024
A new report released today reveals that toxic pollution from industrial cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is having devastating human and environmental impacts. The findings challenge the narrative of ‘clean’ and ‘sustainable cobalt’ frequently promoted by multinational mining companies. Cobalt is a critical raw material used in the rechargeable batteries of electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies, and is largely sourced from the copper and cobalt belt of southern DRC.
The 110-page ground-breaking report, “Beneath the Green: A critical look at the cost of industrial cobalt mining in the DRC,” authored by UK corporate watchdog RAID and DRC-based African Resources Watch (AFREWATCH), is one of the first in-depth studies of the environmental impacts of industrial cobalt mining on the human rights of hundreds of thousands of Congolese people living in and around Kolwezi, the heart of DRC’s cobalt industry. Focused on the impacts of water pollution, it finds that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is routinely being violated for fenceline communities living in the shadow of the world’s largest cobalt and copper mines.
Communities visited by RAID and AFREWATCH said that the toxic contamination is harming their health and having destructive consequences on local ecosystems and agriculture. Local residents said there is not enough clean water to drink, let alone enough for washing and personal hygiene, forcing them to use contaminated water for their everyday needs. A staggering 56% of those interviewed report that the pollution is affecting the gynaecological and reproductive health of women and girls, resulting in irregular menstruation, urogenital infections, more frequent miscarriages and, in some cases, birth defects. More and more young girls and teenagers also appear to be affected. [...] Mining companies recognise that chronic clean water shortage is a concern for local residents and have constructed boreholes to help alleviate the problem.