"Mining’s toxic timebomb: dams full of poisonous waste are dotted around the world. What happens when they burst?", 13 Mar 2026, The Guardian

For the millions of Zambians that depend on the Kafue, the tailings dam collapse at the Chinese state-owned Sino-Metals Leach copper mine triggered a national environmental emergency that is yet to end. The spill shut down drinking water supplies for Kitwe, Zambia’s third-largest city, home to half a million people.

Signs of pollution were detected 60 miles downstream from the collapse. Helicopters chased the spill downriver, dropping lime into the water in an attempt to neutralise its corrosive potency.

The affected region is home to rare wildlife, including the Kafue lechwe zntelope, the Zambian barbet bird, and the wattled Crane.

“It looked like diesel mixed with oil. We had already planted our crops, but they died. When you now turn up the soil to till it for planting, it has become yellowish and has a pungent smell,” says Mary Milimo, a 65-year-old smallholder close to where the Mwambashi River joins the Kafue.

“There are no more fish here,” says Patrick Chindemwa, 66, who farms nearby. “I planted maize in October using irrigation. All the maize dried up.

“The ground is yellow and soil here is like grease; it is slippery and when it rains, it melts. We need help,” he says.

Sino-Metals did not respond to a request for comment.