Sa Marinduque Provincial Government-Barrick Gold na kasundan ay iginigiit ngayon ng magkabilang panig na ang mga tailings na nasa katubigan ng Marinduque ay walang naging masamang epekto o magiging epekto man sa kapaligiran at kalusugan. May mga hiwalay pang stipulations ng paghuhugas kamay sa kasunduan na patuloy namang nililihim sa mga taga-Mogpog. Nasa gitna ng usapan ang tungkol sa Mogpog River at Maguila-guila Dam. Patay na nga ang Mogpog River dahil wala nang control ang pagdaloy at pagkalat ng Acid Mine Drainage at mapanganib ang lagay ng Maguila-guila Dam.
Ayon sa ilan pang mga siyentipikong pag-aaral ay ganito:
"Ang mangyayari sa panahong darating ay madilim para sa mga mamamayan ng MOGPOG at ibang mga barangay na nasa baybayin ng ilog kung walang rehabilitasyon na isasagawa sa ilog para maibalik ang dati nitong kondisyon na isasagawa ng kumpanyang responsable sa mining disaster na ito."
The future scenario therefore is bleak for the people of Mogpog and other villages that settled along the riparian zone of the river unless rehabilitation of the river to its productive condition can by done by the company responsible for this mining disaster. With the destruction of the Mogpog River ecosystem, and the impending disaster that looms ahead from the huge amount of tailings still waiting to go down from the waste dumps in the mining area, no amount of money can compensate for the ecosystem destruction brought about by irresponsible mining and what the people will endure for a long long time.- Assessment of the effects of Acid Mine Drainage on Mogpog River Ecosystem, Marinduque, Philippines, and Possible Impacts on Human Communities
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| Mga volunteers na nagsagawa ng sandbagging sa Bocboc river na bahagi ng Mogpog River para makontrol kahit papaano ang pagkalat ng nakalalasong mina kapag bumabaha. |
Impacts of Acid Mine Drainage (in Mogpog)
Acid mine drainage (AMD) due to mining activities releases heavy metals in the environment with increasing (decreasing pH) acidity. The current condition of the said river with regards to decreasing pH of soils from the coast to the dam and the red iron deposits (including hues of orange) at the bottom and sides of the river channel show that the river is manifesting the phenomenon of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). In the report of Dr. Alan Tingay (2004), heavy metals in Mogpog river such as cadmium, copper, iron, and zinc show trends of decreasing level from the dam upstream to the coast downstream indicating that heavy metals originated from the mine. The values are also higher in this river than in the reference river (Dawis River).
Likewise, there is also increasing acidity in soil from the coast to the dam. Mobility of heavy metals is facilitated by acidic condition. Arsenic for instance is remobilized from the source (dam) and deposited in soils at lower elevation. Lead in soil along Mogpog riverbank was also detected in the dam upstream and in other areas downstream with levels higher than the reference river. The deposition of lead and arsenic is also occurring in areas farther from the water edge. The same occurrence is probably happening with other heavy metals such as copper and zinc since elevated levels of these metals in water were reported in the study of Tingay (2004) in the same river.
BAKIT HUMANTONG SA GANITONG KALAGAYAN ANG MOGPOG RIVER AT MAGILA-GILA DAM? NARITO ANG ILANG PRUWEBA:
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| A blasted portion of the dam where overflow water from the contaminated mine tailings flows through. |
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| Tunnel (white arrow) where contaminated water from the dam above drips into a canal which is connected to the Mogpog River (yellow arrow) |
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| White arrow points to tunnel below the dam where contaminated water is collected and conveyed into Mogpog River (blue arrow). Green arrow is the drainage canal originating from the overflow of blasted portion of the dam. |
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| Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) in Mogpog River |
Based on the results of this study, the following scenario in the future can be expected in Mogpog river ecosystem:
1. Contaminated tailings from the dam and beyond it will continue to be deposited
downstream during heavy rainfall and threaten human habitations and livelihood.
2. The increased level of heavy metal pollution in soil and plants may reach above the
critical range. This situation will be brought about by continuous deposition of the
pollutants through water transport downstream where human settlements are
concentrated, by wind as dust during the drier months, or by horizontal movement of
the metals from the water edge spreading inward in the riparian zone where people
plant their crops.
3. Reduction in agricultural productivity due to toxic effects of heavy metals in soil and
plants. This event will likely occur because of increasing acidity of soil from the
water edge towards the riparian zone. Similarly, the increasing acidity will kill soil
organisms (micro and macro) that are responsible for facilitating the release of
nutrients from organic matter in the soil.
4. Reduction in the productivity of fishing grounds within the vicinity of the outfall of
Mogpog River. Siltation is the major hazard that will cause fish kills by burial or
choking of aquatic organisms. Toxic level of heavy metal will finish off the rest of the
organisms that survived siltation and those that happen to visit the place.
5. Heavy metals in fishery resources will spread to other marine organisms via the food chain. In time, major fishery resources will accumulate toxic metals in their bodies and can also reach man through the food chain pathway.
6. The increased level of toxic heavy metals that might accumulate in people may cause a variety of health problems experienced by people. Similarly animals, especially livestock and domestic non-food animals will show symptoms of health problems. Accumulation of heavy metals in the body will be brought about by the movement of metals through the food chain, or through regular drinking of contaminated water from the river or wells near Mogpog River. The increased concentration of metals in the body is due to the fact that most metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury attach to the sulfur of the protein cysteine, a natural constituent of the body (Fergusson, 1990).
Although naturally low in concentration, Cadmium may pose another serious health
problem because it is absorbed readily but is eliminated slowly in the body (Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Division of Toxicology, 1999)
Other observations in Mogpog river system show that silt and deposition of tailings coming from the dam will continue to happen during heavy rainfall due to the huge volume of tailings that have accumulated and continually fill up the Maguila-guila dam.
