This glowing picture omits the fact that Barrick and Goldcorp have come under strong popular opposition in the DR (where 20% of the population lacks access to drinking water) for polluting 2,500 cubic meters of water per hour with the vast quantities of cyanide needed to process 24,000 tons of ore a day by opencast (or open pit) mining. This method of mining is banned by the European Union. Activists in the DR have joined forces with a broader group called Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de America Latina (OCMAL) that has launched a campaign to end this practice in the region.
There is great concern that the DR’s biggest water reservoir, which is close to the mining operations, is continuously at risk of cyanide contamination, since stories of spills and massive fish die offs caused by mining companies are legion. Barrick and Goldcorp have also been accused of dynamiting mountainsand destroying Taino Indian archeological sites.
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