“The rivers in Chocó pass through the different sub-regions. So, if
portions of a river are contaminated with mercury, other areas also will
be affected,” Guerrero said.
Traditionally, Baudó hasn’t been a mining region, but rather a coca cultivation region, according to Guerrero.
Informal
and illegal mining, as well as criminal mining – which helps finance
the conflict’s illegal armed groups – are occurring in Chocó department,
according to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The use of mercury in
the extractive process of gold mining has contaminated the Atrato, San
Juan, Andágueda, Apartadó, Bebará, Bebaramá, Quitó and Dagua rivers, the
Office of the Ombudsman reported.
In addition to water
pollution, illegal mining has diverted rivers, forming pools of water,
which cause diseases such as dengue and malaria to proliferate.
http://infosurhoy.com/en_GB/articles/saii/features/society/2014/08/01/feature-01?source=recent
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