‘Government Stalling on Lead Cleanup Plan’ 13 March 2024

Zambia’s government is delaying urgently needed action to clean up severe lead contamination in the city of Kabwe, the Alliance for Lead-Free Kabwe, a coalition of Zambian and international civil society organizations, said today. The government should draft a technical proposal and seek support from donor agencies and companies responsible for the pollution to undertake a comprehensive clean-up of the former Kabwe mine, one of the most heavily lead-polluted sites in the world. “It is inconceivable that 30 years after the mine’s closure, children in Kabwe still suffer lead poisoning and serious lifelong health impacts,” said Juliane Kippenberg, child rights associate director at Human Rights Watch. “The toxic mine needs to be cleaned up immediately to protect children’s health and lives.”

… In March 2022, President Hakainde Hichilema instructed the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment to establish a technical committee to “address and lead the process of comprehensive remediation” in Kabwe. However, after an initial informal meeting in June 2022, the technical committee was never formally set up. In 2023, the ministry announced its intention to make Kabwe a “Green City” where economic development takes place “on top of buried lead surfaces.” But it remains unclear how the ministry is planning to turn this vision into reality. “We are disappointed by the government’s inaction,” said Namo Chuma, country director of Environment Africa Zambia. “The government should finally develop a tangible plan and time frame to tackle the toxic waste in Kabwe and consult civil society and affected communities in the process.”

… In December 2023, the South African High Court refused to let the case proceed, describing it as an “unmanageable claim that would set a grave precedent.” Lawyers for the plaintiffs have announced they will appeal. Under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies have a responsibility to provide remedies when they caused or contributed to adverse impacts. With a World Bank loan, Zambia’s government has undertaken some limited efforts to address the contamination in Kabwe, It has tested and treated some children and cleaned up a small number of homes and a highly polluted canal. But it has failed to clean up the source of the contamination, which makes its measures unsustainable, and any gains quickly reversed.