China related to Zambia’s mining companies sued by Copperbelt farmers over Ecological Catastrophe

Zambia’s farmers have filed a $ 80 billion case ($ 58.5 billion) against two Chinese -related companies, accusing them of an “ecological disaster” caused by a dam collapsed.

A million liters of highly acidic material spilled into the waterways in February, leading to “mass casualties” among fish, making water inseparable and destroying crops, farmers said in court documents.

This is one of the largest lawsuits in Zambia’s history, with farmers saying that spilling about 300,000 households in the copper region.

The US Embassy issued a health report in August, provoking “widespread water and soil pollution” in the area.

Judicial cases bring peasants who are mainly farmers against Chinese metals, which extract Zambia and NFC Africa Mining, which are subsidiaries of Chinese state -owned companies.

A group of 176 of them filed documents on behalf of their community in the Supreme Court in the capital of Zambia, Lusaka.

They claimed that the collapse of the Haistings dam – owned by Chinese metals, Leach Zambia, but located on the surface of the NFC Africa Mining – is caused by many factors, including engineering damage, disadvantages of construction and operational mismanagement.

Companies have not yet commented on the lawsuit, but before that Sinle Metals Leach Zambia said there was a spill of about 50,000 cubic meters.

“The release of tailings and the violation was immediately arranged within hours of the opening,” a statement said on September 3.

In court documents, farmers said they had learned that the water was highly toxic only a few days after the dam collapsed.

This has exposed the health of the community at risk, with people reporting various symptoms of diseases, including blood in the urine and tightness of the breast, the documents said.

Most villages had dug wells, but even they were polluted and the crops had to be burned because they were dangerous to consumption, the petitioners said.

They asked the two companies to invest $ 80 billion into an account run by Zambia’s government, such as “security” for, among others, “ecological recovery” and “complete compensation”.

An emergency fund of $ 20 million must also be set up to provide “immediate” emergency assistance to people affected by the disaster and to carry out in -depth health and environmental assessments, petitioners said.

Last month, the US Embassy said it had ordered the immediate withdrawal of its Kitwe staff – the largest city in the Medbelt area – and nearby areas, after expressed concern that beyond “polluted water and soil, pollutants from spilled mines can also become in the air.”

In response, Zambius government spokesman Cornelius Mweetwa said there were no longer serious consequences for public health and “no need to press the” panic button “today to alert the nation and the international community.