How an audacious engineering project is keeping Zambia’s largest copper mine dry and operational.
In Zambia’s North-Western Province, water is everywhere. The region sees over 1,500 millimetres of rainfall each year—more than ten times the national average. And it’s not just the skies that pour; beneath the surface, powerful aquifers feed the headwaters of some of Africa’s great rivers, including the Kafue and Zambezi.
In this land of abundance, water is both a gift and a threat.
At Kansanshi Mine—the country’s largest copper operation—that threat became real when excavation reached 150 metres deep. The mine had pierced a pressurized aquifer, and water began pouring into the pit. Left unchecked, it could have flooded the operation, bringing production to a standstill.
The answer? One of Zambia’s most ambitious underground engineering feats: a one-mile-long tunnel bored deep beneath the open pit, designed to intercept the aquifer and redirect its flow—protecting the mine and its future.
Was it easy? Not even close.
Dive into the full story of ingenuity and resilience in the July–August issue of CKM eMagazine.
