New Delhi, 17 September (IANS). In Zambia, Central Africa, farmers have filed a $ 80 billion case against two companies associated with China. Farmers have blamed them for the “ecological imbalance” after the collapse of a dam stored from copper mining in February.
According to several media reports, the farmers said in the court documents that millions of liters of acidic substances spread to the waterways, causing a large number of fish death, water was not potable and crops were destroyed.
The lawsuit is fighting against the villagers, which are mostly farmers, against Sino Metals Leach Zambia and NFC Africa Mining.
Farmers told the court that about 3 lakh families in the copper mining sector have been affected by this leak and is the largest environmental disaster in the history of Zambia. The farmers argued that until several days after the dam broke, they were kept ignorant about the highly toxic nature of water.
The American embassy issued a health warning in August, which caused people about “widespread pollution of water and soil” in the region. A group of 176 farmers have filed documents on behalf of their community in the High Court in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.
The dam was owned by Sino Metals Leach Zambia and was located in the land area of NFC Africa Mining. According to farmers, there were many reasons for the collapse of the dam. These included engineering flaws, construction flaws and operations related to operation.
Companies have not yet commented on the trial, but Sino Metals Leach Zambia had earlier stated that there was about 50,000 cubic meters of leakage.
The company said in a statement on 3 September, “Telings leakage and crack were immediately controlled within a few hours of finding out.”
The court documents states that the victims have described symptoms of many diseases including blood and chest tightness in urine. The petitioners said the wells were polluted and crops could not be used. This is the reason why he had to burn.
In addition, the petitioners demanded a $ 2 million emergency fund for providing ‘immediate and most essential’ assistance to people affected by disaster and for complete health and environmental assessment.
-IANS
KR/