More than 50 Zambian farmers are demanding compensation from Kondola Copper Mines (KCM) over destroyed crops following the latter's pollution, Times of Zambia reported on Thursday.

The farmers, whose crops allegedly got destroyed after watering them with polluted water, have submitted their demand through the office of the District Agriculture Coordinator (DACO).

Chingola District Commissioner Tobias Maliti said on Wednesday that DACO had since written to KCM, which he hoped would respond positively.

He said the farmers in the area in Copperbelt Province have complained of the state of the water, which has become slurry after the effluents from the KCM tailings leach plant spilled into Mushishima stream and Kafue River earlier this month.

Several people fell sick after eating dead fish that were poisoned by the polluted water.

KCM, jointly owned by the Zambian government and Indian mining firm Vedanta Resources, which has a majority stake and is managing the mines, suspended production of copper for 10 days at its Nchanga plant following the closure of its tailings leach plant.

The closure resulted in losses of up to 352 tons of finished copper a day, representing about 10 billion kwacha (2.56 million U. S. dollars).

Source: Xinhua