This refers to the article titled “Farmers decry loss of water to mine.” (Inquirer, 5/28/12) The farmers and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala are absolutely right: the Tampakan mine will pose a very big risk to agricultural production in four provinces. The claim of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) that the Tampakan mine will increase rice production is unbelievable.
You cannot separate agricultural farms from their catchment areas, and the Tampakan area is a catchment area that supplies six rivers and many aquifers. The aquifers supply clean water to many towns and villages and they can’t be cleaned once they are polluted by acid mine drainage and arsenic.
Water catchments, as mandated by law and Presidential Executive Order 23, should be protected. SMI plays down the risks the mine poses, but SMI’s own study states that “the Tampakan mine has a high potential to cause loss of life and high environmental damage.”
Our study of the area confirms the risks. SMI will destroy a large portion of the tropical rainforest there, which supplies water and it will severely damage the Mal river catchment. SMI’s claim that it can solve the problem by building a dam for fresh water is ridiculous; the dam could only increase the risk. If a tropical storm strikes, the dam, just like many other mine dams, will overflow. Once it does, water will spill into the tailings dam and possibly cause it to collapse, which is why SMI’s mine engineers warned of such risk.
Also, there is no proof that any of the dams, particularly an 0.8-km-long, 150-meter-high fresh water dam and a 2.1-km-long and 280-meter-high tailings dam situated above fault lines and 12 km from an active volcano (Mount Matutum) can forever withstand frequent, high seismic “assaults.”
The environment and human rights of the people in four provinces should be protected. Mining in Tampakan is too much of a risk; it should never be allowed; otherwise, it will kill many people.
—CLIVE WICKS,
co-author,
“Philippines: Mining or Food?”,
clivewicks@googlemail.com