ZAMBIA: "Now we are dead because of KCM"

ZAMBIA: "Now we are dead because of KCM"

The following is abstracted from a major report, published last week, into the consequences of privatisation of Zambia's copper industry. The entire report, funded by Christian Aid and written by Alastair Frasser and John Lungu, is available at:

http://www.minewatchzambia.com/reports/report.pdf

We warmly commend it for a full reading.

In this section the authors summarise what led to the country's worst mining-related environmental disaster for some years - one which brought Vedanta close to being ordered out of the country.

Despite the company's protestations that it had merely "inherited" bad standards from its predecessor (Anglo American), the evidence cited turns in the other direction. Vedanta is accused of knowingly continued using a faulty toxic waste system, despite several previous failures; moreover of continuing to construct a major smelter without obtaining official permission.