More than 95 percent of children living around the mine on lead in Zambian Kabwe about 140 kilometers from the capital of Lusaka face the danger of poisoning and needs immediate treatmentthe human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday. This is reported to TASR, according to the AFP report.
The city of Kabwe is also one of the most polluted places in the world more than 30 years after the formal closure of the lead and zinc mining mine. An extremely high amount of toxic substances is found in soil and dust around houses, schools and roads. According to HRW, almost 200,000 people have been exhibited.
Despite the formal closure of the mine in 1994, the government allows for dangerous mining and processing “in this area for domestic, South African and Chinese businesses. In the report, HRW therefore called on the government to remove permits and remedy the shortcomings.
The human rights organization in the area conducted its own research and talked to the inhabitants and miners. “Companies in Kabwe earn from mining, removal and processing of lead at the expense of children’s health,” said the director of the HRW Department of HRW Juliane Kippenberg.
Lead causes serious health problems, including brain damage or even death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), children are more susceptible to lead diseases. According to the report, high toxic waste is transported to various places in Kabwe, making up “several meters high kicks of dark, sandy material”.
