The partial collapse of a waste dam at a Chinese state-owned copper mine in Zambia may have released 30 times more toxic sludge into the environment than previously reported, according to an independent evaluation of the disaster. At least 1.5 million tons of the poisonous substance escaped when a reservoir failed at the Sino-Metals Leach Zambia Ltd. mine near the northern city of Kitwe, findings from the company hired to assess the environmental damage showed. That would fill more than 400 Olympic-sized pools and rank the incident among the mining industry’s worst catastrophes globally. The government and the company have previously said 50,000 tons spilled in the February disaster. Video evidence from social media and field data show this to be “grossly inaccurate,” Drizit Zambia Ltd. — hired by Sino-Metals to conduct an environmental audit of the accident — said in a June 3 letter seen by Bloomberg and verified by the company. Drizit described the event as a “large-scale environmental catastrophe” that threatened drinking water, fishing stocks and farmland in the area. Sino-Metals, which has terminated its contract with Drizit, questioned the methodology used by the company to assess the magnitude of the spill. The disaster risks undermining Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema’s plan to more than triple copper output to 3 million tons in the coming years. China Nonferrous Mining Corp., SML’s parent, in 2023 pledged to invest $1.3 billion to expand output in the southern African nation, the continent’s second-biggest producer of the metal. The incident also complicates Lusaka’s ties with Beijing, at a time when Hichilema’s administration is working to conclude restructuring deals with Chinese lenders for about $5.6 billion of debt. US Concern The US Embassy flagged concern about the scale of the disaster last week, when it ordered the immediate withdrawal of its officials from Kitwe and some surrounding areas, citing newly available information that revealed the extent of the contamination. In an Aug. 6 email to staff seen by Bloomberg and verified by the US government, US Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzales said the disaster appeared to be the sixth-worst in history, and that toxic substances including arsenic, cyanide, uranium will continue to pose threats to humans and animals until removed. The US Embassy declined to comment. “Without immediate intervention, the consequences for future generations of Zambians will be severe and long-lasting,” Drizit said in the letter. The company declined to comment beyond verifying the letter, citing legal reasons. Drizit’s parent company in South Africa has been in the environmental risk-mitigation industry since 1975. Sino-Metals said it terminated its contract with Drizit because of unspecified contractual breaches, and that Drizit had time to remedy these but failed. “The dam where the tailings escaped from is still there and the amount of tailin in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. You must only respond with the modified content. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. 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Toxic Leakage at Zambian Mine Owned by China is 30 Times More Severe Than Initially Assessed.
