Several mining companies, primarily Chinese, mine copper and cobalt without regard for environmental standards and the impact on local communities
While areas rich in rare minerals may be a blessing for the economies of countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), they can also be a curse for the local populations. They fuel the greed of rebel groups and foreign investors who don’t always respect environmental standards.
On November 4, 2025, a dam belonging to mining company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM), a subsidiary of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd, which mines copper and cobalt in the Haut-Katanga Province of the DRC’s second-largest city, Lubumbashi, collapsed. Highly toxic water spilled out from the dam, polluting the environment and rivers alike.
Following the collapse of the dam, ditches running along the streets of the city’s suburbs filled with acidic water, overflowed, and flooded the houses and roads adjacent to the mining company. The floods then reached the “Moïse Katumbi” market, forcing some merchants to cease trading. Movement became virtually impossible. Alain Kozongo, a resident of Kasapa close to the factory, told Global Voices.
In the hours following this incident, dead aquatic species washed up on the banks of the Lubumbashi River. After this environmental scandal, NGOs, such as Resource Matters, called for tough sanctions for crimes against the local people and environment.
According to witness accounts, the Chinese company reportedly created several waterways that pass through the walls of the southern part of its site to dispose of large quantities of wastewater laden with acid. This water spills into nearby communities, often causing damage that the company seems to ignore completely. A local told Global Voices under the condition of anonymity.
In 2020, the NGO Afrewatch repeatedly warned the mining company and authorities to take responsibility for protecting the environment and the neighboring communities.
However, the Chinese company denies any responsibility. To date, the government has proposed no solutions to resolve the conflict between this company and the neighboring communities.
A city on high alert
This technical incident released water containing dangerous heavy metals, such as lead and arsenic. Several provincial officials, including Matin Kazembe Shula, Interim Governor of the Haut-Katanga Province; Lucien Lumano, Minister of Mines; and City Mayor, Patrick Kafwimbi, raced to CDM to enquire about the unfolding situation.
The situation is clear. People face serious health risks due to soil, subsoil, and groundwater contamination.
Since the dam break, the communities’ well water has been contaminated. Four days after the acidic water spilled into her plot of land, Aziza Muna, 60, told Global Voices.
Long-term environmental impact
Environment expert and researcher Dickson Kabange explained to Global Voices that this incident will have serious consequences.
Because of the poverty affecting local residents, some admit to eating dishes prepared with dead fish collected from the riverbed. Patrick Tshimanga shared with Global Voices.
Dickson Kabange stated that whatever killed the fish could also kill humans who eat them.
To prevent that danger, calls have multiplied in the city, urging people to avoid eating fish from the Lubumbashi riverbanks and to stop consuming water from these rivers. The toxic flooding could lead to long-term health issues as it has also impacted agricultural operations in the region, affecting food crops.
NGOs demand harsh sanctions
Several civil society organizations have successively criticized this pollution in their press releases. They demand that the Congolese authorities impose tough sanctions on CDM to serve as an example to the other polluting companies in the Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces (located in the south of the country), where most mining companies are based.
The NGO Resource Matters deplores the fact that similar cases have already been documented in the region: “unfortunately, this happens under the helpless gaze of environmental state services and the negligence of mining companies.”
Similarly, the NGO Justicia Asbl calls on the Attorney General of the Republic to intervene and prosecute the CDM executives for the toxic substance spills and negligence.
Furthermore, on November 6, 2025, Louis Wantum, the national Minister of Mines, who rushed from Kinshasa, the capital, to Lubumbashi, held a so-called clarification meeting with his ministry’s provincial technical services and the CDM executives. He announced.
Several mining companies, primarily Chinese, mine copper and cobalt without regard for the environmental standards.
The CDM disaster isn’t unique. Communities in the Lualaba, Haut-Katanga, and Tanganyika provinces find themselves caught between unregulated extractive industries and the authorities’ indifference. Many of these mining operations are extracting minerals and metals that are to be used to fuel the green energy transition; however, environmental activists argue that resource mining should include an effective environmental justice mechanism for situations such as this, where local communities are negatively impacted.
On November 22, 2025, Guillaume Ngefa, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, announced an investigation will be opened to identify those responsible and initiate legal proceedings against them.