The population of Lubumbashi has expressed concern about water quality after pollution was reported in several neighborhoods following an acid effluent spill from the mining company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM). REGIDESO has issued assurances about the safety of the water it supplies to its customers.

In a media statement, David Angoyo Rutia, regional director of REGIDESO Grand Katanga, said the company’s water intake points remain intact and that tests carried out after the incident showed no contamination.

He explained that, as soon as the industrial accident was reported, REGIDESO deployed teams to various intake sites to conduct sampling and quality checks. “There is no need for fear… Our sources are intact,” he said.

However, the official noted that, as a precaution, about 1,200 meters of piping supplying the Kamatete neighborhood in the Annexe commune — the area directly affected by the incident — were temporarily isolated.

David Angoyo Rutia also stressed that this assurance applies only to water supplied by REGIDESO to its customers, and not to other sources used by part of the population, including shallow boreholes and domestic wells.

This clarification renewed some concerns. Local media have pointed out “the absence of REGIDESO in several parts of the city,” which forces many residents to rely on boreholes or wells for daily consumption. Among these neighborhoods is Kasapa, in the Annexe commune, where the incident occurred.

A suspected case of food poisoning was also reported in the Camp Scout neighborhood, still in the Annexe commune. According to the child’s mother, the meal was prepared with water from a well. She said she noticed the food had an acidic taste.

On November 3, 2025, acidic water from CDM’s retention basin flowed into several surrounding neighborhoods. Residents reported skin irritation after contact with the water, and domestic animals that drank it died. Images shared on social media also showed dead fish floating in streams affected by the polluted effluents.