Kolwezi: NGOs condemn the impact of Ruashi Mining’s mining pollution on local communities
At a press conference organised with the organisations UWAZI and SAUTI YA LUALABA, they warned of the deterioration in living conditions for people living near the mining facilities.
According to the testimonies gathered and the scientific analyses presented, residents are facing a severe deterioration of their environment: air pollution, chemical odours, noise pollution, water contamination and soil acidification. The organisations also highlight concerning health effects, particularly among children, as well as material damage to homes and surrounding crops.
Beyond the immediate environmental impacts, the NGOs are particularly critical of the lack of compensation and the limited local benefits from mining, despite the development promises associated with cobalt mining. They also highlight the difficulties faced by public authorities in intervening and the absence of robust measures to protect the affected communities.
This situation has reignited a wider debate on the human, health and territorial costs of the global energy transition in the mining regions of the DRC. It also raises questions about the limitations of current mechanisms for environmental and social accountability in the extractive industries.
