CNN — For years, the people in the villages around Chingola in Zambia endured frequent health challenges and dead fish floating around in their water source, but that was just the beginning of their nightmare. In 2006, their once-clear river water suddenly turned a vivid blue, tainted by waste from the copper mine owned by the Zambian subsidiary of UK-headquartered mining giant, Vedanta Resources, according to a 2015 Zambian Supreme Court ruling . Villagers suffered nose bleeds, rashes, and abdominal pain, and some even had blood in their urine, which was a result of contamination by the Zambian subsidiary Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), said Chilekwa Mumba, the son of a former miner who has been fighting for justice on behalf of the communities. The Supreme Court ruling found that KCM was in contravention of its license and that the “final straw” was the bursting of slurry pipes which “discharged” acidic effluent into the tributaries of the Kafue River, which provides almost half of the country’s drinking water. But attempts by residents to get compensation for damages caused to their environment had been unsuccessful in Zambia. David v Goliath In 2015, Mumba launched an epic David versus Goliath fight to try to secure compensation for the community. The community organizer, led a six-year legal battle in the UK that eventually led to Vedanta Resources and its subsidiary Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) paying compensation to 2,500 Zambian villagers, although the companies admitted no liability. Along the way, Mumba helped to set a new precedent, allowing a British company to be sued for the actions of its subsidiary in another country. Chilekwa Mumba Courtesy Goldman Environmental Prize On Monday, Mumba, 38, was awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for his work for the community and setting legal precedent. “It’s a wonderful feeling to receive this award,” he told CNN. “It’s the culmination of work which was done, not just by me but even the community themselves … who stood up against injustice and stood with us for six years.” Mumba, a father of three, is one of six global winners of the prestigious award, which honors grassroots environmental activists. The prize is awarded each year by The Goldman Environmental Foundation, with ceremonies in San Francisco and Washington, DC. A tough path to victory Zambia is Africa’s second-biggest copper producer and its economy relies heavily on copper mining, which generates more than half of its revenue from exports, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). KCM is one of Zambia’s largest mining operations and also one of the country’s biggest private employers, according to its website. CNN has reached out to Vedanta and KCM for comment but has not received a response. Mumba said he faced a battle getting justice for Chingola communities suffering the effects of pollution. In 2011, the Lusaka High Court ordered KCM to pay $2 million to 2,000 Chingola villagers for polluting Mushishima, a tributary of the Kafue River, with toxic chemicals. The Environmental Council of Zambia, a body set up to protect the environment, provided evidence to the court that KCM violated its license by discharging acidic mine water waste into the river. A mine worker walks past conveyors and pipe systems at the concentrator plant at the Nchanga copper mine, operated by KCM, in Chingola, Zambia. Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg/Getty Images While the Supreme Court of Zambia later upheld the verdict that KCM polluted the villagers’ water source, it overturned the ruling on compensation, as the lower court had not fully assessed the extent of injury and damages for each of the 2,000 people. Only six villagers had provided evidence to the high court of health complications, according to the Supreme Court ruling. Inhabitants of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, Africa’s largest oil-producing region face high poverty rates and a largely degraded environment, owing to hundr