Environmental disasters in Zambia

This page highlights significant environmental disasters in Zambia, including industrial pollution, mining impacts, droughts, flooding, and disease outbreaks.

Acid Spill – 2025

On 18 February 2025, a catastrophic collapse of a tailings dam at the Sino‑Metals Leach facility in Chambishi, Copperbelt Province, released approximately 50 million litres of acidic, heavy-metal–contaminated effluent into the Mwambashi Stream and Kafue River. This disaster affected water supplies, aquatic ecosystems, agriculture and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.

Impact

• Major fish kills and death of wildlife over 100 km downstream; the river was described as having "died overnight." Crops along riverbanks were destroyed due to soil acidification, and heavy metals were detected in water and sediment.
• Drinking water supplies to Kitwe (≈700,000 people) were suspended; farming and fishing communities lost essential livelihoods.
• Local testimonies expressed grief over lost fish ponds and devastated agriculture.

Response

• President Hichilema ordered suspension of Sino‑Metals and initiated aerial lime neutralisation by Zambia Air Force in a clean-up effort.
• A multi-agency team (ZEMA, WARMA, Water Development, Nkana Water) was deployed to assess damage and monitor pH and contaminant levels. Heavy metals persist despite pH normalization.
• Sino‑Metals pledged full compensation; farmers were registered for relief; portions of mining operations remain suspended pending reform.
• Calls for tougher environmental laws emerged from former lawmakers and NGOs urging ZEMA to increase penalties for environmental harm.

Lead poisoning – Kabwe mine

The abandoned Kabwe lead-zinc mine, once active until the 1990s, remains one of the world’s most contaminated sites. Ongoing environmental exposure to lead and cadmium has caused widespread poisoning—children’s blood lead levels often exceed international safety limits, and soil lead levels reach 10,000 ppm.

Drought and Hydropower Crisis

From 2023 onward, Zambia faced repeated, severe droughts (notably linked to El Niño), which drastically reduced water levels in Lake Kariba and led to widespread power blackouts across the country. ZESCO was forced to operate only one turbine, slashing power output by over 80%, with daily outages up to 21 hours.

Flooding

Seasonal flooding remains a recurring hazard in Zambia.

• In March–April 2009, floods along the Zambezi River basin claimed at least 131 lives in Zambia, affecting 445,000 people in Angola, Namibia, and Zambia.
• In February 2025, widespread flash flooding in Lusaka’s informal settlements (e.g., Kanyama, Misisi) again displaced residents and damaged infrastructure.

Cholera outbreak – 2023–2024

Beginning in October 2023, Zambia experienced its worst cholera outbreak in 20 years, resulting in over 400 deaths and 23,378 confirmed cases across nine provinces. A mass vaccination campaign and clean water distribution were part of the national response.

See also

• Kafue River
• Mining in Zambia
• Lake Kariba