Zambian Farmers Sue Chinese-Linked Miners for $80bn Over Tailings Dam Collapse

Farmers in Zambia have filed an $80 billion lawsuit against two Chinese-linked mining firms, alleging an "ecological catastrophe" after a tailings dam collapse in February released highly acidic mine waste into local waterways.

A group of 176 petitioners, representing communities in the Copperbelt region, lodged papers in the High Court in Lusaka saying the spill caused "mass fatalities" among fish, rendered water undrinkable, and destroyed crops that subsistence farmers relied on. The suit, one of the largest environmental claims in Zambia's history, says the contamination affects about 300,000 households in the area.

The claim names Sino Metals Leach Zambia and NFC Africa Mining, subsidiaries of Chinese state-owned enterprises. The farmers say the tailings dam — owned by Sino Metals Leach Zambia but located on the surface area of NFC Africa Mining — failed because of engineering defects, construction flaws and operational mismanagement. They are seeking $80 billion to be placed in a Zambian government-managed account as security for environmental reparations and full compensation, and request a separate $20 million emergency fund for immediate relief and comprehensive health and environmental assessments.

Sino Metals Leach Zambia previously acknowledged a spillage of about 50,000 cubic metres of material, roughly 50 million litres, and in a statement on Sept. 3 said the release "was promptly brought under control within hours of detection." Neither company has issued comments in response to the lawsuit filings.

Court papers say villagers only learned that the water had become highly toxic several days after the dam breach. Petitioners reported a range of health symptoms in the aftermath, including chest tightness and blood in urine. Many households that had dug wells found them polluted, and some farmers said they burned crops that were unsafe to consume.

The U.S. embassy in Zambia issued a health alert in August, warning of "widespread contamination of water and soil" and ordering the immediate withdrawal of personnel from Kitwe and nearby areas in the Copperbelt. The embassy raised additional concerns that contaminants from the spilled tailings could become airborne and pose inhalation risks. The Zambian government, through spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa, said there were no longer any serious public-health implications and urged against alarm.

The Copperbelt is Zambia's principal copper-mining region and mining operations and their waste facilities have long been a focus of environmental and public-health scrutiny. Tailings dams, which store the byproducts of mineral processing, can contain heavy metals and other contaminants that pose risks to water supplies, soil and human health when they fail.

The lawsuit frames the incident as both an environmental emergency and a socio-economic crisis for largely subsistence communities that depend on local water and farmland. The petitioners asked the court to order immediate measures to assess and remediate environmental damage, ensure medical testing and care for affected residents, and secure funds for long-term compensation and rehabilitation.

Legal experts say cases that seek such large sums face complex jurisdictional, evidentiary and valuation challenges, particularly when they involve multinational corporate entities and state-linked firms. The timeline for litigation in Zambia's High Court is likely to be lengthy, and court proceedings may include demands for independent environmental and health assessments.

Zambia's mining industry contributes substantially to government revenues and employment. The government has previously navigated tensions between maintaining investment in the sector and enforcing environmental protections. This case will test the balance between those priorities while addressing immediate claims of contamination, health impacts and loss of livelihoods in the Copperbelt.

The plaintiffs' filing requests that the court require the companies to fund prompt and thorough environmental remediation and to provide compensation to affected households. The companies have not yet publicly responded to the latest court action beyond the earlier statement acknowledging a spillage and asserting rapid containment.

As the legal process proceeds, health and environmental agencies, both domestic and international, along with independent specialists, are likely to play a central role in establishing the scope of contamination, tracing the sources and pathways of pollutants, and quantifying damages to human health, agriculture and ecosystems in the affected communities.