Zambia suspends output at copper processor after waste dam burst
2020-10-19 09:45:43 [Print]
Zambia suspended operations at a copper processing plant after it discharged huge quantities of effluent into a stream after a dam burst, the nation's environmental management agency said last Friday.
The waste dam at the plant, more than 370 km north of Lusaka, collapsed last Thursday discharging massive quantities of effluent into the Luena stream, the agency said in a statement.
The Luena is a tributary of a river that feeds into Zambia's main Zambezi river. "A stretch of more than 200 meters along the Luena stream has been polluted, affecting fish and other aquatic organisms," the Zambia Environmental Management Agency said.
Some small-scale farmers who grow their crops on the banks of the Luena had some of their crops buried by the discharge, the statement said.
The company, Rongxin Investments Limited, was ordered to suspend operations and clean up the stretch of water before submitting an application to re-start operations.
The waste dam at the plant, more than 370 km north of Lusaka, collapsed last Thursday discharging massive quantities of effluent into the Luena stream, the agency said in a statement.
The Luena is a tributary of a river that feeds into Zambia's main Zambezi river. "A stretch of more than 200 meters along the Luena stream has been polluted, affecting fish and other aquatic organisms," the Zambia Environmental Management Agency said.
Some small-scale farmers who grow their crops on the banks of the Luena had some of their crops buried by the discharge, the statement said.
The company, Rongxin Investments Limited, was ordered to suspend operations and clean up the stretch of water before submitting an application to re-start operations.
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