Kabwe is a city in Zambia in Africa. As of 2010, the population was 209,914. The city was formed when zinc and lead deposits were discovered in 1902. It also is the birth of politics in Zambia and it’s an important transportation and mining center. Kabwe was once known as Broken Hill. The name Kabwe comes from the word Kabwe-Ka Mukuba which means ore or smelting but it was later renamed Broken Hill by European prospectors. A human skull of a now extinct species of man was found in a mine there in 1921. The first railway in the country reached the Broken Hill mine in 1906.
The railway became the second largest employer after the mines. Today, Kabwe is the headquarters of Zambia Railways. On October 26, 1958, the city was the site of a rally at Mulungushi Rock, formed by the group Kaunda-Kapwepwe, which broke away from the Zambian African National Congress. Soon after, the group formed the UNIP (United International Independence Party) which ushered in independence in Zambia. Kabwe’s economy used to rely heavily on mining, but when the mine closed, the city’s economy started the decline. It used to have a lot of manufacturing industries, but they closed down too after heavy losses. Some other industries in Kabwe include pharmaceuticals, milling and cotton ginning, farming and leather tanning.
Kabwe has plenty of potential for tourism. The Lukanga Swamp is a wildlife area west of the city but road access is bad. Both the Mulungushi River and Lunsemfwa River valleys offer good boating and fishing opportunities, but once again road access to these locations is poor, and are almost inaccessible. Although a lot of the natural outdoor wonders are slightly inaccessible, Kabwe has several other attractions for visitors and locals too, such as: Mulungushi Rock, Big Tree National Monument, and the Kabwe golf course.
When deposits of lead were discovered in 1902, Zambia was a British colony called Northern Rhodesia, and little concern was given for the impact that the metal might have on the natives. And today, there seems to be almost no improvement in the decades since, and although the mines are shut, lead levels in Kabwe are still extremely high. On average, lead levels in the children’s’ blood are 5 to 10 times than what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows, and those levels can be high enough to kill.
There is a small waterway that runs from the mine to the center of town and it has been used to carry waste from the mine when it was operating. There are no restrictions on use of the waterway, so local children use it for bathing. In addition to that contaminated water, the soil is also contaminated with lead, which causes a significant source of contamination for the locals. Most workers and residents are exposed to toxic levels of lead by inhaling dust in these areas. Children who play in the soil and workers who dig through the mines for scraps of metal are more likely to be exposed to lead produced by the mine. Lead poisoning usually results in vomiting, kidney failure and it slows down mental development, especially in children. In some cases, there is brain damage and even death.
There is a small waterway that runs from the mine to the center of town and it has been used to carry waste from the mine when it was operating. There are no restrictions on use of the waterway, so local children use it for bathing. In addition to that contaminated water, the soil is also contaminated with lead, which causes a significant source of contamination for the locals. Most workers and residents are exposed to toxic levels of lead by inhaling dust in these areas. Children who play in the soil and workers who dig through the mines for scraps of metal are more likely to be exposed to lead produced by the mine. Lead poisoning usually results in vomiting, kidney failure and it slows down mental development, especially in children. In some cases, there is brain damage and even death.
After decades of contamination, the clean-up strategy for Kabwe is to educate the locals on lead poisoning. They will learn simple advice to avoid poisoning, such as keeping the children from playing in the dirt and rinsing dust off of plates and food. However some areas of Kabwe are extremely polluted and entire neighborhoods may need to relocate.
In response to local initiatives taken up by the organization Pure Earth (formally known as Blacksmith Institute), the World Bank has given about $40 million under the Zambia Copperbelt Environmental Project (CEP) to clean up waste and to relocate people living in extremely polluted areas of the Copper Belt region. Work is expected to commence soon and real health benefits should then begin to be seen. In the long-term, it is likely that Kabwe's mine dumps will need to be covered with concrete to prevent dust from being blown across the town, and the medical staff will need to be properly trained and equipped to deal with the Kabwe's lead pollution.
In response to local initiatives taken up by the organization Pure Earth (formally known as Blacksmith Institute), the World Bank has given about $40 million under the Zambia Copperbelt Environmental Project (CEP) to clean up waste and to relocate people living in extremely polluted areas of the Copper Belt region. Work is expected to commence soon and real health benefits should then begin to be seen. In the long-term, it is likely that Kabwe's mine dumps will need to be covered with concrete to prevent dust from being blown across the town, and the medical staff will need to be properly trained and equipped to deal with the Kabwe's lead pollution.