Colombian gold mining gangs pollute rivers, cut down forests

National police chief Rodolfo Palomino has said armed groups are using increasing amounts of mercury, cyanide and arsenic to extract gold in the remote western jungle province of Choco along the Pacific coast. Five grams of mercury are needed to extract one gram of gold, he said.
“Water sources have been diverted and contaminated by the dumping of tonnes of chemicals,” Palomino told reporters recently, adding that 4,000 hectares of rainforest in Choco have been cut down to make way for illegal mining.
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