Civil Society Urge Government To Tackle Kabwe Lead Poisoning

A group of six civil society groups have come together to urge the next Zambian government to urgently clean up lead pollution in the city of Kabwe.

Following the publication of a United Nations experts’ letter on the issue, civil society organisations including Human Rights Watch, Advocacy for Child Justice, Caritas Zambia, and Children’s Environmental Health Foundation are asking for the matter to be urgently addressed.

“UN experts on toxic pollution and on people with disabilities have sounded the alarm bell over Kabwe” Juliane Kippenberg of Human Rights Watch has said.

“Zambian political leaders and candidates should recognise the urgency of the Kabwe situation and commit in their election campaigns to cleaning up this toxic legacy,” she added.

The pollution, which has affected the health of tens of thousands of individuals, has come from a mine and smelter which polluted the environment with extremely high levels of toxic lead from 1904 to 1994. Subsequently, residents within the area still suffer with polluted homes, back yards, schools, play areas and roads, a 2019 Human Rights Watch report found.

Rather than tackling the issue at hand, the Patriotic Front government have licensed further mining and reprocessing activities that pose additional health risks to citizens in the region.

To add, the government have not installed appropriate medical facilities or supplied sufficient medication to help treat issues which local residents experience.

“People in Kabwe whose rights to health have been violated have a right to effective remedies. This includes access to health care, reparations, and immediate measures to end further toxic exposure,” Environment Africa Zambia’s country director said.

In spite of having had ten years in government to address the issue, the Patriotic Front are yet to make a concerted effort to resolve the issue to help improve the lives of those who live in the area.

Photo: Human Rights Watch