The report alludes to "…mercury contamination in water, soil and food as locals engage in rampant small-scale illegal gold mining using toxic processing methods," and says that "…the toxic substance is vaporised or dumped, along with other mining waste including cyanide, on to land or into rivers and then flushed into the sea."
The story also states that "…Clashes with police, the military and mining companies – with corrupt officials fuelling resistance – are common; this week on neighbouring Sumbawa island police shot dead two locals protesting over the Australian Arc Exploration gold mine."
2 comments:
I read Helen's well written letter in the link. Problem is, as she knows, nothing will be done by the officials until someone pays them to do so. If investors and others want action to stop this environmental degradation then they will have to pay for it.
Tom
Yes. That has been the situation worldwide. The wild card that has recently been thrown into the equation is that of local people protesting and demanding change by actively halting operations that are poisoning their environment.
After many decades of pollution to water, air and soil, it has become a matter of pure survival to not only the people who are involved in mining but all humans, since the pollution now affects all of us. There are more mercury particles in the air we breath, the fish we eat and the animal and vegetation ecosystem. Cyanide has proven to spill no matter how careful you are, yet they propose to create a pond miles wide on the top of a mountain in Peru. On top of a mountain?
Corruption as a way of life, along with a free hand by mining companies, is being threatened for the first time by these protesters who feel that they have nothing left to lose but their lives.
We are all in the same boat. We should all be protesting in our own way before it's too late, IMO.
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