Venezuela: where a crisis and a “gold rush” are creating an environmental disaster

After the soil and rock are crushed, a toxic muddy liquid is released through a pipe into a pond, which still has a gold content of over 60 per cent. This mercury threatens the country’s largest freshwater reserves, such as the Caroni Basin. “Our community regularly loses cows who drink contaminated water,” explains Coremoto Francis. According to a study by the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) published in 2010, 74 per cent of schools inspected in El Callao had above-average levels of mercury. Since then, the number of illegal mining operations and the amount of mercury used have continued to increase.
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