Mine waste seen in the Mwambashi River, a tributary of the Kafue River, after a tailing dam breach at a Chinese-owned mine near Kitwe, Zambia. — AP
AUTHORITIES and environmentalists in Zambia fear the long-term impact of an acid spill at a mine that has contaminated a major river and could potentially affect millions of people after signs of pollution were detected at least 100km downstream.
The spill happened on Feb 18 when a tailings dam that holds acidic waste from a copper mine in the north of the country collapsed, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia.
