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Zambian agricultural workers have filed an enormous lawsuit targeting two Chinese-linked firms, attributing to them a "massive ecological breakdown" triggered by a dam failure used for tailings from copper mining.

Millions of litres of toxic slurry leaked into rivers and streams earlier this year, causing "mass fatalities" affecting fish populations, rendering water unsafe and devastating farmland, the farmers said.

This represents a major environmental lawsuits in Zambia's history, plaintiffs state that the leakage harms about 300,000 households in the copper-mining region.

The US embassy issued a health alert in August, raising concerns of "extensive toxic presence in ground and water sources in the area.

Court Proceedings

Legal action opposes local residents versus Sino Metals Leach Zambia along with a second operator, both owned by Chinese state-owned firms.

An assembly of 176 individuals have filed papers on behalf of their community before the superior court in the heart of Zambia.

They claimed the collapse of the tailings dam was caused by numerous factors, such as design flaws, faulty building practices and operational mismanagement.

Company Response

The firms have not yet commented about the litigation, but Sino Metals Leach Zambia had earlier stated a leakage took place involving thousands of cubic meters.

"The spill and structural failure was promptly brought under control soon after identification," the firm said through an announcement.

Health and Environmental Impact

In the court papers, claimants reported they had learned concerning dangerous contamination only several days after the tailings dam had collapsed.

It threatened residents’ wellbeing, as individuals experienced a range of medical conditions, including blood in urine and chest tightness.

Local sources were groundwater, however, these also got tainted and crops had to be burned as they posed risks for eating purposes.

Plaintiffs’ Claims

They demanded that the operators place $80bn in a Zambian government-managed account assuring "environmental reparation" along with "complete restitution".

A urgent reserve of $20m should also be set up offering "swift and vital" support to people affected, and to carry out thorough health and environmental assessments.

Diplomatic Concerns

Last month, American officials noted it had ordered the immediate withdrawal of staff members from Kitwe and surrounding regions following raised alarms that in addition to "toxic land and water", hazardous materials from the leak might disperse aerially, representing a risk if inhaled.

Government Statement

In response, a national spokesman stated there presently are not major dangers regarding population health, adding that "unnecessary to overreact currently to worry the nation and the international community."