Solve pollution. Save lives. Protect the planet.

November 7, 2016

 

This post is from Lara Crampe, Pure Earth’s regional director for Southeast Asia.  She is currently in Zambia working with the team on the second phase of Pure Earth’s remediation project in the Chowa neighborhood of Kabwe.

15000245_10209527596240442_2729770709526359651_o

This month our team is back at work in Kabwe, Zambia, a mining town in central Zambia where mine tailings, polluted run-off, and decades of lead dust have left the community exposed to dangerously high levels of lead.

14939494_10209529642971609_2413658042451992640_o

Pure Earth is partnering with Environment Africa and the Kabwe Municipal Council to cover yards and gardens in the Chowa neighborhood of Kabwe with clean soil to reduce exposures to lead dust, particularly for the youngest children.

The partners covered 79 yards in 2015 and are targeting 44 yards this year.

Gordon Binkhorst, a member of our Technical Advisory Board along with the two local project managers, Evaristo Mwenya and Cornelius Katiiti.
Gordon Binkhorst, a member of Pure Earth’s Technical Advisory Board along with the two local project managers, Evaristo Mwenya and Cornelius Katiiti.

The process is:

  1. Soil testing using an XRF to determine which neighborhoods are most at risk.
  2. Door to door conversations with residents about the dangers of lead and gaining permission to work in their yards.
  3. Smoothing yards, clearing debris, and deciding which areas must be covered with barrier fabric and clean soil.
  4. Weeks of dump trucks delivering clean soil, workers laying down barrier fabric, and then shoveling clean soil on top, and then more trucks delivering topsoil to allow for gardening and planting grass.
  5. Health education to teach the community about the dangers of lead and proper exposure mitigation techniques

dsc_0237

Here is the first soil delivery of the week.

dsc_0225

The yard covering in progress – debris cleared, barrier fabric installed, and clean soil placed on top. The next steps will be removing large stones, moving extra clean soil to the next home, adding black soil on top, and then planting grass.

dsc_0204

dsc_0198

dsc_0240

Community meeting panelists – Chowa area councillor, Environment Africa staff, and Kabwe Municipal Council representatives meet to talk about the project.

dsc_0250

Smiles from members of our local remediation team.

14976342_10209529565889682_2487064050143515148_o

Related:

https://www.pureearth.org/blog/nearly-100-of-children-in-this-neighborhood-have-been-poisoned/

https://www.pureearth.org/blog/so-fresh-and-so-clean/

https://www.pureearth.org/blog/notes-field-walking-day-seek-change-kabwe/

https://www.pureearth.org/blog/npr-talks-to/

Comments are closed.