KAFUE RIVER WATER ON THE COPPERBELT FOUND HIGHLY ACIDIC
Government is assessing farms along the contaminated Mwambashi Stream and Kafue River on the Copperbelt to determine the potential effect of the pollution on the fish and livestock.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock says a team from the National Aquaculture Research and Development Centre is currently conducting further assessments along the water bodies to determine the full extent of the impact.
Principal Public Relations Officer, BENNY MUNYAMA says the two water bodies are contaminated leading to mass fish death and posing serious risks to human and animal health.
Mr. MUNYAMA says preliminary assessments indicate dangerously low PH levels, with water samples from Kafue Bridge, in Kitwe, registering a PH of three confirming high acidity.
He told ZNBC News today, that people should not consume fish from the Kafue River and other polluted streams, as the contamination involves acidic effluents with heavy metal content, making the fish unsafe for human consumption.
ZNBC
