Leak at Angola diamond mine pollutes DRC rivers – report

A leak of heavy metals from a diamond mine in northern Angola is said to be causing an "unprecedented environmental catastrophe" in the Democratic Republic of Congo rivers, according to media reports.
Reuters quoted researchers at Kinshasa University as saying that satellite imagery and interviews revealed that a reservoir used to store mining pollutants was allegedly breached mid-last month in a diamond-mining area stretching from Lunda Sul to Lunda Norte provinces in Angola.
Congo Basin Water Resources Research Centre (CRREBaC) director Raphael Tshimanga said two tributaries of the Congo river, the Tshikapa and Kasai rivers, turned red, killing fish and hippopotamuses as well as causing diarrhea amongst communities along their banks.
"We have never seen such huge pollution in the Congo river," he said.
"It is still increasing, the consequences are beyond what we could imagine. This is a catastrophe. It's an unprecedented environmental catastrophe."
Congo's environment minister Eve Bazaiba also said in a statement that the pollution of the rivers had been caused by a toxic substance spill at an industrial diamond mine in Angola.
The Congolese and Angolan governments are jointly investigating the source of the pollution.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished