Copperbelt Provincial Minister Elisha Matambo has announced that farmers affected by the acid spillage in Chambishi will receive compensation for three years, a significant extension from the initially planned one-year period.
Addressing the media in Ndola this morning, Mr. Matambo explained that this extended compensation is designed to provide adequate support to farmers who suffered losses due to the environmental incident.
Mr. Matambo says the three-year compensation plan will include an initial K16 million contribution from Sino Metals Leach Zambia Limited and Rongxing Mining Investment.
He says this extension ensures that farmers are given sufficient time and resources to recover, as advised by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency-ZEMA- which confirmed that soil fertility will take at least one year to fully restore.
Mr. Matambo has urged the affected farmers to be patient, reassuring them that government, through six ministries, is actively working on the process to ensure it is carried out efficiently.
Meanwhile, Mr. Matambo has announced that president Hakainde Hichilema is expected in Ndola tomorrow for a one-day working visit, during which he will commission the upgraded Chilanga cement plant.
