Public Inquiry to Assist Kafue River Cleanup

The government will oversee the publication of a report to ascertain the lasting effects of the polluting of the Kafue River by Sino Metals Leach Zambia Ltd, Green Economy and Environment Minister Mike Mposha announced recently. It is hoped that the results of the report will best inform government policy regarding the cleanup, and to ensure that such events do not happen again.

Last month, Sino Metals discharged pollutants into the Mwambashi River, a tributary of the Kafue, and is now affecting a large area surrounding Ngabwe District in Central Province.

Mr Mposha explained that the government’s response to this event is multifaceted; in the short to medium term, it is focussing on regulating the pH levels of the river’s water, but in the long-term more robust investigations will need to take place into the enduring presence of heavy metals in the water, soil, and crops in nearby farmland. Only when all this information is known, can a comprehensive policy response be coordinated.

In the meantime however, the government is busy with the work of ensuring that those affected are adequately compensated. “There will also be an assessment to be undertaken in terms of who has lost what. Based on that assessment, Sino Metals, using the principle of polluter pays, will have to compensate those who have lost”, Mr Mposha explained.

The minister also praised the government’s private sector partners who have assisted with the immediate response, particularly those who have helped obtain water samples and facilitate the necessary tests.

There is much more to be done to rectify the situation but a robust policy response is underway.