"In Climate-Related Flooding, A Ugandan River Turns Poisonous"

"Uganda’s Nyamwamba river, in the Rwenzori Mountains, has begun to flood catastrophically in recent years, partly due to climate change.

Along the river are copper tailings pools from an old Canadian mining operation, which are becoming increasingly eroded by the flooding.

According to a series of studies, these tailings have been washing into the water supply and soil of the Nyamwamba River Basin, contaminating human tissue, food and water with deadly heavy metals.

Cancer rates are higher than normal near the tailings pools, and scientists fear that as the flooding continues to worsen, so will the health crisis."

Ashoka Mukpo reports for Mongabay March 6, 2024.