In Zambia, an acid leakage occurred at a mine owned by China, mixing into the river. Experts are investigating the extent of an environmental disaster that could affect millions of people. Authorities and environmentalists in the African country of Zambia are concerned about the long-term effects of an acid leak at a mine owned by China that has polluted a major river. Experts have warned that after signs of pollution were detected at least 100 kilometers downstream from the river, this could impact millions of people. According to inspectors from the Zambia Engineering Institute, the leakage occurred on February 18th due to the collapse of a waste dam holding acidic waste from a copper mine in the country’s north. The engineering institute reported that as a result of the collapse, approximately 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved solids, and heavy metals flowed into a tributary connected to the Kafue River, the most important waterway in Zambia. Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental activist working in Zambia’s Copperbelt province, stated, “This is truly an environmental disaster with devastating consequences.” CHINA LEADS IN COPPER MINING China is a dominant player in copper mining in Zambia, a Southern African country that ranks among the top 10 producers of copper, an essential component in smartphones and other technologies. Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has requested assistance from experts, emphasizing that the leakage poses a crisis threatening people and wildlife along the Kafue, which extends over 1500 kilometers from the heart of Zambia. Authorities are still investigating the extent of the damage caused to the environment.