In Zambia, an acid leakage occurred in a mine owned by China and mixed with the river water. Experts are investigating the extent of an environmental disaster that could affect millions of people. Officials and environmentalists in the African country of Zambia are concerned about the long-term effects of an acid leakage that polluted a major river from a Chinese-owned mine. Experts have warned that signs of pollution detected at least 100 kilometers downstream could impact millions of people. According to inspectors from the Zambian Institute of Engineering, the leakage occurred on February 18 as a result of the collapse of a waste dam holding acidic waste from a copper mine in the country’s north. The engineering institute reported that approximately 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved solid materials, and heavy metals flowed into a tributary connecting to the Kafue River, which is one of Zambia’s main waterways. Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental activist working in the Copperbelt province of Zambia, stated, “This is truly an environmental disaster with devastating consequences.” China is a dominant player in copper mining in Zambia, a Southern African country that ranks among the world’s top 10 producers of copper, which is a crucial component in smartphones and other technologies. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has requested assistance from experts, highlighting that the leakage poses a crisis threatening people and wildlife along the more than 1500 kilometers stretch of the Kafue from the heart of Zambia. Authorities are still assessing the extent of damage to the environment.