Water pollution in DRC attributed to Chinese mining company – Global Voices

Report on the Environmental and Social Impacts of the Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM) Dam Collapse in Lubumbashi

Incident Summary

On November 4, 2025, a dam operated by Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM), a subsidiary of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd, collapsed in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The incident resulted in the discharge of highly toxic, acidic water into the surrounding environment, causing significant environmental damage and creating a public health crisis. This event represents a severe breach of corporate responsibility and highlights critical failures in achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Violations of Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation & SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The dam collapse has directly undermined the fundamental rights to clean water and health. The immediate consequences have created a severe public health emergency.

• Water Contamination: The Lubumbashi River and local groundwater sources were contaminated with acidic water containing heavy metals, including lead and arsenic.
• Loss of Safe Drinking Water: Community wells, a primary water source for impoverished residents unable to afford tap water, were inundated and rendered unsafe for use.
• Public Health Risks:
  1. Exposure to contaminated water and soil poses long-term health risks to the population.
  2. Residents reported consuming contaminated fish collected from the river due to food insecurity, exposing them to toxins that an environmental expert warned could be fatal.
  3. Authorities have issued warnings against consuming water or fish from the affected rivers.

SDG 14: Life Below Water & SDG 15: Life on Land

The toxic spill has caused catastrophic damage to local ecosystems, directly contravening goals aimed at protecting biodiversity.

• Aquatic Ecosystem Collapse: The immediate aftermath saw large numbers of dead fish, including tilapia and catfish, washing up on the banks of the Lubumbashi River, indicating a severe disruption to aquatic life.
• Terrestrial and Agricultural Impact: The acidic floodwaters contaminated soil and subsoil, threatening local agriculture, eroding the ecosystem, and impacting food crops, which compromises food security and the integrity of life on land.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities & SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The incident has rendered parts of Lubumbashi unsafe and has severely disrupted the local economy, demonstrating a failure to foster sustainable and resilient communities.

• Community Displacement and Damage: Flooding from the acidic water inundated homes and roads in the Kasapa, Kamisepe, and Kamatete neighborhoods, forcing residents to contend with property damage and unsafe living conditions.
• Economic Disruption: The “Moïse Katumbi” market was flooded, forcing merchants to cease trading and crippling local commerce. The incident highlights how environmental negligence can destroy livelihoods and undermine economic stability.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production & SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The event and the company’s history underscore a profound failure in corporate accountability and institutional oversight, which are central to achieving responsible production and justice.

• Corporate Negligence:
  1. Local residents allege that CDM has a history of discharging wastewater into the community, particularly during rainfall, dating back to 2012.
  2. The NGO Afrewatch had previously issued warnings to the company in 2020 regarding its environmental responsibilities.
  3. CDM has reportedly denied responsibility for the current incident.
• Institutional and Legal Response:
  1. Civil society organizations, including Resource Matters and Justicia Asbl, have demanded harsh sanctions and legal prosecution of CDM executives for environmental crimes and negligence.
  2. In response, the National Minister of Mines, Louis Wantum, suspended all of CDM’s mining activities for an initial period of three months.
  3. On November 22, 2025, the Minister of Justice, Guillaume Ngefa, announced the opening of a judicial investigation to establish responsibility and pursue legal action.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected issues stemming from a mining disaster in Lubumbashi, DRC, which directly relate to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals address the environmental, social, and economic consequences of the incident.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The spill of toxic water containing heavy metals like lead and arsenic poses severe health risks to the local population, who are exposed through contaminated water and food sources.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The core issue is the massive pollution of the Lubumbashi River and community wells with acidic, toxic wastewater from the mining company, directly compromising access to safe water.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article touches upon the negative economic impacts of irresponsible industrial activity, such as the flooding of a market which forced merchants to stop trading, and the temporary suspension of the mining company’s operations.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The disaster directly impacts the safety and resilience of urban and suburban communities in Lubumbashi, causing flooding of homes and roads, property damage (collapsed houses), and disrupting daily life.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The incident is a clear example of unsustainable production patterns, specifically the failure of a company to manage its chemical waste and infrastructure responsibly, leading to severe environmental and social harm.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: The pollution had a direct and immediate lethal effect on aquatic ecosystems, as evidenced by the dead fish washing up on the riverbanks.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: The contamination of soil, subsoil, and groundwater, leading to “ecosystem erosion,” directly relates to the degradation of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article discusses the failure of regulatory oversight (“helpless gaze of environmental state services”), the calls from NGOs for legal action and sanctions, and the government’s eventual response to open an investigation and suspend the company, all of which relate to justice and the effectiveness of institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the details provided in the article, several specific SDG targets can be identified as being directly relevant to the situation.

1. Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.
   • Explanation: The article explicitly mentions the release of “highly toxic water” containing “dangerous heavy metals, such as lead and arsenic,” which puts the population at risk of “various diseases” and potential death.
2. Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
   • Explanation: The collapse of the dam and the company’s alleged practice of discharging “wastewater laden with acid” into nearby communities is a direct failure to meet this target of preventing water pollution.
3. Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters.
   • Explanation: The dam collapse is described as a “technical incident” and a water-related disaster that flooded homes, roads, and a market, affecting residents and causing economic losses for merchants.
4. Target 12.4: By 2022, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
   • Explanation: The mining company’s failure to contain its toxic wastewater represents a severe lapse in the environmentally sound management of chemical waste, leading to the exact adverse impacts this target aims to prevent.
5. Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including… nutrient pollution.
   • Explanation: Although the pollution occurred in a river, this target is relevant as it addresses pollution of aquatic ecosystems from land-based activities (mining). The article states the pollution led to “dead aquatic species” in the Lubumbashi River.
6. Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
   • Explanation: The toxic spill caused “ecosystem erosion” and a direct loss of biodiversity, evidenced by the death of “around 70 tilapias and 55 catfish” collected by one resident alone.
7. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
   • Explanation: The calls by NGOs like Justicia Asbl for the “Attorney General of the Republic to intervene and prosecute the CDM executives” and the government’s announcement of a judicial investigation are actions aimed at promoting the rule of law and providing justice for the affected communities.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article provides several qualitative and quantitative pieces of information that can serve as indicators to measure the extent of the damage and any subsequent progress.

• Indicator for Target 3.9 & 6.3: Presence of hazardous substances in water. The article explicitly names “lead and arsenic” and “acidic water” as contaminants in the river and wells. Measuring the concentration of these substances would be a direct indicator of water quality.
• Indicator for Target 11.5: Number of people and properties affected by the disaster. The article mentions the flooding of “houses and roads” in the “Kasapa, Kamisepe, and Kamatete” neighborhoods and the collapse of homes. It also notes that the “Moïse Katumbi” market was flooded, forcing “some merchants to cease trading.”
• Indicator for Target 14.1 & 15.5: Impact on biodiversity. A direct, quantifiable indicator is the number of dead fish. One resident is quoted as having “collected around 70 tilapias and 55 catfish,” which implies a significant and widespread fish kill event.
• Indicator for Target 12.4: Incidents of hazardous waste mismanagement. The dam collapse and the reported intentional discharge of wastewater are themselves indicators of a failure in the sound management of waste.
• Indicator for Target 16.3: Legal and administrative actions taken. The article mentions specific actions that serve as indicators of institutional response: the “suspension of all of CDM’s mining operations for three months” and the official announcement that an “investigation will be opened to identify those responsible and initiate legal proceedings.”

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: globalvoices.org