PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
Kanchibiya Commences Legal Action Against ZEMA and WARMA Over Contamination of Kanchibiya and Lwitikila Rivers
Kanchibiya, Zambia: – On behalf of the people of Kanchibiya, we have today commenced legal proceedings for judicial review against the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) over their failure to safeguard the Kanchibiya and Lwitikila Rivers from environmental degradation caused by gold mining activities in Mpika District.
This legal action is necessitated by the persistent contamination of these vital water sources, which serve as lifelines for thousands of residents and the gross failure by ZEMA and WARMA to take timely, decisive, and lawful steps to prevent environmental harm and protect public health. Despite repeated community concerns and environmental red flags, the two institutions have not exercised their statutory responsibilities adequately to prevent the ongoing pollution nor to ensure the people of Kanchibiya have access to safe and clean water.
We are therefore seeking judicial intervention to:
• Compel ZEMA and WARMA to fulfill their legal obligations under the Environmental Management Act and the Water Resources Management Act;
• Hold accountable all parties whose mining activities have led to the contamination;
• Ensure the immediate restoration and protection of the affected rivers;
• Secure a sustainable and long-term provision of clean and safe water for the people of Kanchibiya.
As elected representatives, we cannot stand by while the health, livelihoods, and dignity of our people are compromised. The right to clean water is a constitutional right and a matter of justice. This action is not politically motivated, but morally and legally necessary.
We call upon all stakeholders, including traditional leaders, civil society, and the broader public, to support this cause, as environmental protection and the right to safe water transcend partisan interests.
In all things, Country and Community First.
Issued by:
Hon. Sunday Chilufya Chanda, MP
Member of Parliament – Kanchibiya Constituency
Date: 22nd July 2025
And you are directing this at Government and not the Mining companies who are perpetuating the pollution.
How are you protecting the people of your constituency? As we speak the act has not stopped as the pollutors are freely polluting. Why not sue them jointly with the agencies? What does the AG have to do with it. The agencies are quasi Government and have a legal standing of their own.