Zambian Government Tries to Calm Fears Over Contaminated Water From Chinese Mine Disaster

View of the Sino Metals tailings dam in Zambia that collapsed in February, allowing 50,000 liters of toxic wastewater to flow into the Kafue River. Image via News Diggers.

The Zambian government is seeking to reassure the public that municipal water supplies in communities along the Kafue River are still safe, even though recent tests detected excessive levels of heavy metals following a major environmental disaster at a Chinese-owned copper mine six months ago.

“The water is fit for consumption,” Green Economy and Environment Minister Mike Mposha told reporters in Lusaka, the capital, on Friday.

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by Eric Olander

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