Abstract
The global energy transition requires countries to transition to a low-carbon economy. But it still depends on critical minerals to produce, among others, the lithium-ion batteries needed for electric vehicles. The booming production of such batteries has intensified the global demand for cobalt, a mineral for which about 70% of global production currently takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s Copperbelt region. This cobalt boom is further fueling urban expansion and population growth at a rate that is likely to be unsustainable for some key resources such as water. Furthermore, the booming demand has inflamed artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). While providing more labour opportunities to local populations, ASM also increased the pressure on natural resources through population growth as well as polluting extraction and processing techniques. In this project we will focus on water quality and access to water in urbanised mining areas in the Copperbelt.
The overarching aim of this research project is to understand the distribution of water resources, the dynamics of water pollution in the Katanga and the uneven access to clean water, in order to propose policies that can ensure a fair, safe and sufficient access to clean water for communities in cities and mining areas. Three specific objectives will be pursued: 1) assessing the availability of water resources and natural risks due to the local geology and presence of (potentially toxic) metals in the soil and underground, 2) assessing the anthropogenic risks due to mining activities and human settlements. These risks will include pollution of water resources, biodiversity loss and risks for human communities, and 3) understanding the political ecology of water governance in this region. These objectives will be pursued through three interlinked work packages with specific disciplinary and methodological approaches, including the production of validated maps and participatory mapping; water, sediment, macroinvertebrate and fish samples; survey and interviews. The principal researcher will be embedded in an interdisciplinary team at RMCA, IOB and Ecosphere. The project is justified by the strategic importance of cobalt in the green energy transition, as well as its negative externalities in terms of water pollution and uneven access to water resources for local populations.
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