THIS June 5 is World Environment Day, which kicks off the “United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.” Ecosystem restoration is about preventing, halting and reversing environmental damage.It is hugely important globally but especially in Zambia, where mining and other economic activities have caused significant harm.Take the case of lead mining in Kabwe: from 1904 to 1994, the town was home to a mine and smelter that polluted the environment with extremely high levels of toxic lead.The mine was originally owned by British colonial companies, including Anglo American, and later nationalised. Even though the mine closed 26 years ago, there was never a comprehensive clean-up – the land remains degraded and polluted.The former mine area contains over three million tons of waste from the mining process and about 2.5 million tons of waste from the smelter.Lead dust from these waste dumps, which are not covered, continues to blow over to nearby residential areas and threaten community health.An estimated […]
ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, KABWE’S CHILDREN STILL AWAIT CLEAN-UP
