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Government has confirmed a pollution incident affecting the Kafue River and its tributaries in Chingola District, Copperbelt Province, involving Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) on September 28, 2026.
Minister of Green Economy and Environment, Dr Gilbert Siame, said the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) received notification from KCM’s Nchanga Mine around midday on September 28, reporting discoloration of the Kafue River.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday, Siame said KCM attributed the discharge to infrastructure failure involving a pipe leak at the Tailings Leach Plant and an overflow from the Pollution Control Dam.
He said following the notification, a team of ZEMA inspectors, working with Mulonga Water Supply and Sanitation Company and KCM personnel, conducted a site inspection and confirmed that pollutants had been discharged into the Chingola Stream, Mushishima Stream and Kafue River.
“By the time of the inspection, KCM had repaired the leaking pipe and contained the overflow from the Pollution Control Dam,” Siame said.
He said the Ministry, through ZEMA, collected water samples from affected locations and analysed physicochemical parameters at the ZEMA laboratory in Ndola.
Preliminary results showed elevated turbidity and conductivity levels at the confluence of the Mushishima Stream and Kafue River, while pH levels were within acceptable limits, Siame said.
He said additional water samples had been submitted to Alfred H Knight for analysis of remaining parameters, including heavy metals and acidity, with results still awaited.
“In line with the Environmental Management Act, Cap 204, Government has issued an Environmental Restoration Order directing KCM to immediately cease discharge of effluent from the Tailings Leach Plant, and remove all visible tailings material from the affected environment,” he said.
The order also directs KCM to conduct a comprehensive integrity assessment of all Pollution Control Dams, tailings pipelines and associated infrastructure, and undertake clean-up and remediation of the affected environment and water bodies.
Siame said Government had also issued a Cost Order requiring KCM to pay for laboratory analysis and related costs in line with the Polluter Pays Principle.
He said KCM would continue to meet additional costs as Government carries out weekly water quality monitoring.
“The Ministry is consulting relevant stakeholders on appropriate penal sanctions to be enforced against the polluter, reiterating that while Government is committed to the Grow Zambia Agenda, investors are required to practice responsible mining to protect the environment,” he said.
Siame said communities affected by the pollution had been supplied with water through Mulonga Water Supply and Sanitation Company.
He said ZEMA, the Minerals Regulation Commission, the Water Resources Management Authority and other agencies would continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates.
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