Challenges of an informal economy=Artisanals

The waste water flows to the river, where pan handling miners try to seperate a bit more of the gold from the water, and then the mercury integrates in the large Magdelena river. The fish get the mercury in their bodies and again, people eat that later. The mercury and other chemicals of course also badly impact the eco-system of the river delta, and now have also started to impact the coral reefs of the atlantic ocean coast of Colombia. It is a true chain of misery. And this kind of informal mining is exploding at the moment, because the region is so rich in minerals. The Colombian government works very hard to regulate the industry, but they have to deal with about 50 years of informality and illegality, so it will take time. Training and better education are of course also crucial ingredients, and we all know that takes really generations before it has a real impact.
http://josnolle.blogspot.com/2013/03/challenges-of-informal-economy.html