Controversy trails govt’s claim on Kafue River pollution, as KCM demands evidence-based probe

The mining firm said it remained committed to environmental stewardship, transparency and cooperation with all relevant authorities.

The KCM response came hours after Government confirmed a pollution incident affecting the Kafue River and its tributaries in Chingola District.

Minister of Green Economy and Environment Dr Gilbert Siame said ZEMA received notification from KCM’s Nchanga Mine reporting discolouration of the Kafue River, which KCM attributed to infrastructure failure, namely a pipe leak at the Tailings Leach Plant together with an overflow from the Pollution Control Dam.

“Inspectors confirmed that pollutants had been discharged into the Chingola Stream, the Mushishima Stream and the Kafue River, with preliminary results showing elevated turbidity and conductivity levels at the confluence of the Mushishima Stream and the Kafue River,” Siame said.

He said Government had issued an Environmental Restoration Order directing KCM to cease discharge, remove visible tailings, conduct integrity assessments of all PCDs and pipelines, and undertake clean-up and remediation.

Siame said Government had also issued a Cost Order in line with the Polluter Pays Principle.

KCM is owned by Vedanta Resources, which holds a 79.4 percent stake, and ZCCM-IH, which holds 20.6 percent. The company operates mining and processing plants in Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe.

KCM said that, following an investment pledge of more than $1 billion by Vedanta, it envisaged unlocking key operations such as the Konkola Deep Mining Project in Chililabombwe and increasing copper production to 300,000 tonnes per year by 2030.

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