Wednesday, July 09, 2008 MGB: River in Tampakan mine site contaminated with mercury By Bong S. Sarmiento
KORONADAL CITY -- A river within the mines development site of foreign-owned Sagittarius Mines Inc. in Tampakan, South Cotabato was found positive for mercury contamination, officials said.
Constancio A. Paye Jr., Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director for Central Mindanao, said the illegal banlas or sluice mining activities caused the appearance of mercury in portions of Pula Bato River in Tampakan.
"These small-scale miners are conducting guerilla type operations some times during the day, other times at night, or if it is raining. They are using gold to extract fine gold particles," Paye said.
Sagittarius, controlled by global mining player Xstrata Copper, discovered the mercury contamination following water quality tests conducted since last year.
A Hong Kong-based laboratory has conducted the test, which confirmed the mercury contamination in the Pula Bato River. The results of the test were furnished to the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board.
Jose Sebua, Sagittarius environment superintendent, said the water quality tests were part of the firm's plan to extract huge copper and gold deposits straddling in the towns of Tampakan, Columbio in Sultan Kudarat, and Kiblawan in Davao del Sur.
Xstrata Copper announced last year that the Tampakan project has a potential of two billion tons of mineral deposits, containing 11.6 million tons of copper and 14.6 million ounces of gold at a 0.3 copper cut-off grade.
The water quality tests, Sebua said, were also part of the company's environmental monitoring activities.
Discouraging the illegal miners, Paye said the sluice mining activities "are not lucrative" since the area's mineralization was more of copper deposits.
Sluice mining employs pouring large quantities of water on a mountain's surface to wash out rocks containing gold ores. Miners then pan the ores to extract gold using mercury, a neurotoxin, which can affect the nervous system.
Based on the mining company's water quality test, Ramon B. Ponce de Leon, chief of the Provincial Environmental Management Office, said the mercury contamination is still "far from serious."
But he warned that the continuing use of the substance would lead to grave problems later on in the area.
Sebua said the contamination level "is still quite tolerable but the problem is that once mercury is tested positive on a body of water, such condition may remain for many years and the dangers of mercury poisoning will persist."
Ponce de Leon said the illegal sluice mining operators promised to stop their activities if they can be provided with alternative sources of livelihood.
The Provincial Government banned the sluice mining a few years ago due to its destructive effects on the environment.
Although Sagittarius was not blamed for the mercury contamination, Bishop Dinualdo D. Gutierrez of the Diocese of Marbel urged the company to abandon the project.
"Once in full commercial operations, the company's mining activity will destroy the watershed in Tampakan (because of open pit method)," the bishop predicted.
Sagittarius, which is still on an exploration stage, repeatedly said it will employ "responsible and sustainable mining."
It has initially announced that open pit mining will be the likely method to extract copper and gold deposits in the area.
