Pangloloko sa sambayanang Marindukenyo; Handa na sila sa panghuhudas?

NAKAAMBANG PELIGRO SA BOAC AT MOGPOG KUMPIRMADO NG CEC AT USGS!

Ilan pa rin ang mga sumusunod sa iginigiit ng Marinduque Provincial Government-Barrick Gold cash-sunduan: 

(x) the weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that the mine tailings present in the Province's waterways do not currently and have not had an unacceptable impact on the environment;

(xi) the Maguila-guila Dam was constructed and operated by Marcopper
in accordance with government permits and approvals and conformed to government approved plans and specifications;

(xii) the principal cause of flooding of the village of Mogpog in December, 1993 was typhoon Monang;

(xiii) the breach of the Maguila-guila dam was the result of force-majeure and not the result of any act, omission or breach of obligation by either Marcopper or PDI;

Ayon mismo sa Center for Environmental Concerns - Philippines na nagtipon sa mga siyentipikong Pilipino para mapag-aralan ng husto ang mga katanungan hinggil sa mga naging epekto ng Marinduque mining disasters, naibahagi nito na hindi kailangan ang maraming pag-aaral para lamang malaman mo na ang operasyon ng Marcopper ay nagresulta sa gabantayog na trahedyang pangkalusugan at kalikasan. Hindi mo kailangang magbulag-bulagan, magbingi-bingihan, magpipi-pipihan kundi marahil ay simpleng sentido-komon lamang ang kailangan.

May hinanakit pa nga ang grupo ng mga Filipino scientists (kinabilangan ng mga Physicists, Pharmacologists, Social Scientists, Geo-chemists, Toxicologists, Geologists, Metallurgical at Civil Engineers), kung bakit daw gumastos pa ang pamahalaan at lalawigan ng Marinduque ng napakalaki para sa pag-komisyon ng mga banyagang siyentipiko para lamang pag-aralan ang kalagayan ng isla matapos ang mga pangkapaligirang trahedyang naganap dito. Kayang-kayang namang isagawa ng mga Filipino ang ganung uri ng pag-aaral at malamang mas kumpleto pa, anila.

"Bahala na kayo sa buhay ninyo!"

Marami ang nananalangin na huwag sanang magbulag-bulagan at magpatay-mali ang mga opisyal ng pamahalaang panlalawigan, lalo na ang mga bokal, na tila naghihintay lamang ng hudyat para pikit-matang umayon sa malaking kalapastanganang isasagawa nila sa kanilang mga kababayang pinaglilingkuran. Kapalit nga raw ito dimano ng kanilang magiging kabahagi sa pagpirma, at tulad ng pamilyar na mga kataga: "Bahala na kayo sa buhay ninyo!"

Sa anupaman, narito ang ilang mga larawan at buod ng pag-aaral sa mga lugar na ayon sa siyentipikong basehan ay walang kaduda-duda na mapanganib para sa mga komunidad na maaaring magresulta sa mga katulad na sakunang naganap na noong 1993 at 1996 sa Mogpog at sa Boac.

The Independent .U.S. Team is unanimous in its agreement that the significant engineering and mine structure stability problems identified at the Marcopper Mine Site by the Engineering Team are the greatest priority in need of action. The potentially imminent failure of any one of the unstable mine structures (such as any of the siltation impoundments) could lead to releases of mine waste and waters that would result in further severe environmental impacts similar to those that resulted from the 1993 Magila-gila siltation dam breach and the 1996 Tapian tunnel bulkhead failure. It is even possible that such failure could endanger the communities downstream along the Mogpog and Makulapnit/Boac river systems. -USGS Study na P 20-million ang ginasta.

 A). View looking northeast of the north end of the Tapian pit lake. Remnants of the tailings stored in the lake are visible in the central portion of the figure. A panoramic view of the Tapian pit looking southeast is shown on the cover of this report.  B). The San Antonio pit lake, looking northwest. (USGS)

D). Boac River above Boac. Tailings berms visible on the far side of the river were bulldozed by PDTS after the spill to prevent overbank flooding of adjacent farmlands

C. Mine waters draining from the Makulapnit siltation dam overflow, below waste dumps on the southwestern side of the mine, have pH 4 and a conductivity of 2000 µS/cm. Orange iron hydroxides are precipitating from the acidic mine waters in the stream bed (right) (USGS)

A. An extensive tailings deposit in the middle Boac River. Since 1996, the river has cut a channel down through the tailings deposit, which originally filled most of the river bed. Coarser sediments deposited on top of the tailings indicate rapid rates of erosion in the headwaters of the Boac and high sediment transport during storms. (USGS)

A. Seep near the portal of the 195 drainage adit. The seep water has a pH of 6.2 and a conductivity of 2000 µS/cm. The seep discharges into the stream draining from the Makulapnit siltation dam. B. Discharge from the 195 access adit, pH 6.6, conductivity 2300 µS/cm. The stream from the Makulapnit siltation dam is visible in the central background. (USGS)

 A. Mine dump that was used as an acid leach dump for copper extraction. B. Mine dump north of the San Antonio pit above the Maguila-guila siltation dam. The yellow-to-orange colors on the dump indicate the presence of secondary salts, which show that sulfide-rich rocks (gray) are generating acid drainage. C. The Maguila-guila siltation dam, downstream from the dump shown in B, no longer fulfills its purpose to trap sediment eroded from the mine site. Sediment has completely filled the impoundment and water is now flowing out the overflow spillway. The high watermark on the dam indicates that the overflow spillway is not big enough to prevent debris buildup and back up of waters during high stream flows. (USGS)

"(There is) vast amount of research reports, testimonies, investigative missions, fora and documentations on the vicious effects of corporate mining on the lives, livelihood, health and environment of local communities... In fact, it does not take much study to know that the Marcopper mining operations had resulted in a monumental health and environmental disaster. " -  Center for Environmental Concerns – Phil.

ILANG BAHAGI LAMANG NG USGS STUDY:

6.3.1 Summary of Environment Team findings

It is clear that large-scale copper mining on Marinduque has had significant adverse impacts on the environment in several different parts of the island. Some of these impacts resulted from past permitted practices, such as the disposal of tailings in Calancan Bay. Others resulted from failure of engineered structures, such as the 1993 failure of the Maguila-guila siltation impoundment that sent debris flow carrying acid-generating mine wastes down the Mogpog River, and the Tapian drainage tunnel bulkhead failure that resulted in the 1996 tailings release into the Makulapnit and Boac Rivers.

Still other problems likely result from inadequate environmental planning and engineering prior to or during mining, coupled with a lack of engineering upkeep since cessation of mining. These include acid-rock drainage from mine waste dumps and the Tapian pit lake, and tailings deposits, as well as the large-scale erosion of mine wastes from many of the large mine waste piles at the mine site.

The most pressing problems at Marcopper that are causing the greatest adverse environmental impacts on the surrounding rivers are:

1) Acid-rock drainage from the Tapian Pit overflow and from mine waste piles into the Makulapnit rivers, and
2). Erosion of mine waste into the siltation impoundments on the Makulapnit, Bol, and Magila-gila rivers. The Maguila-guila impoundment is currently filled and allowing mineralized sediment to flow directly into the Mogpog River system, and mine wastes from the central portions of the mine site are flowing unchecked into the Bol River.

Although the lower Makulapnit siltation impoundment is still trapping eroded mine wastes, it appears that, given sufficient time, it will eventually fill completely, allowing mine wastes to then flow unchecked from the south side of the mine site into the Makulapnit River.

Further, the potentially imminent failures (as identified by the Engineering Team) of the Makulapnit, Bol and/or Maguila-guila siltation dams, coupled with the continued large-scale erosion of mine wastes into the siltation impoundments behind the dams, increases the likelihood of potentially catastrophic releases of large volumes of mineralized, acid-generating mine wastes into the Makulapnit, Bol and Magila-gila rivers, similar to the release that occurred in 1993 from the failure of the Maguila-gila siltation dam.

Boac River. Photo: Tony Wells

KAPAG NAPUNO NA ANG MAKULAPNIT DAM O KAPAG ITO AY NAGIBA, DADALOY ITO NG MA-ASIDONG MINE WASTE SA BOAC RIVER. 

Acid Mine Drainage sa Mogpog River

ANG MOGPOG RIVER NAMAN AY PATULOY NA PAPATAYIN NG MINE WASTE AT ACID-ROCK DRAINAGE MULA SA MARCOPPER HANGGA'T HINDI ITO NAREREMEDYOHAN.

The island, because of its climate, geology, and land cover, has some capacity to help self-mitigate at lease some of these environmental impacts. For example, natural processes on the Makulapnit and Boac Rivers appear to be making progress in mitigating the geochemical and sedimentological impacts of the 1996 tailings spill and impacts of acid-rock drainage from Marcopper, due to extensive dilution by unmineralized sediments and surface waters from sizeable tributaries. The aquatic ecology, however, is still lagging in its recovery in these rivers, most apparently due to impacts of acid-rock drainage from the mine site, but possibly also due to acid and metals derived from tailings deposit still on the riverbanks and still in the riverbeds. Any natural environmental gains are likely to be offset at some point in the future by influx of acid-generating mine waste, when the Makulapnit siltation impoundment inevitably becomes filled or the siltation dam fails catastrophically.

In contrast, however, the Mogpog River has been and will continue to be severely affected by mine wastes and acid-rock drainage from Marcopper until the mine site is remediated. This is because of the large contributions from the mine site, as well as the Mogpog's smaller drainage basin, lack of substantial tributaries, and lack of underlying alkalinity-generating rock types.

UNANIMOUS ANG USGS TEAM SA PAGHATOL: MAARING GUMUHO ANG MGA MINE STRUCTURES ANO MANG ORAS!

PELIGROSO ANG MGA KOMUNIDAD SA MOGPOG AT BOAC.

6.3.3 Highest priority actions that are needed to ensure public safety and prevent further catastrophic environmental degradation.

The Independent .U.S. Team is unanimous in its agreement that the significant engineering and mine structure stability problems identified at the Marcopper Mine Site by the Engineering Team are the greatest priority in need of action. The potentially imminent failure of any one of the unstable mine structures (such as any of the siltation impoundments).could lead to releases of mine waste and waters that would result in further severe environmental impacts similar to those that resulted from the 1993 Magila-gila siltation dam breach and the 1996 Tapian tunnel bulkhead failure. It is even possible that such failure could endanger the communities downstream along the Mogpog and Makulapnit/Boac river systems. The Engineering Team section of this report provides recommended actions to actions to address the engineering problems at the mine site...

ILAN LAMANG SA MGA DAPAT ISAGAWA AYON SA USGS:

6.3.4 High priority actions that will result in the greatest positive environmental, ecological, and health requirements.

Action 1: Reduce the large volume of mineralized sediments that are being eroded from mine waste piles at Marcopper into the surrounding rivers.

Action 2. Reduce acid-rock drainage from the Marcopper mine site into the Boac and Mogpog river systems.

Action 3. Remove or stabilize and cover tailings from the 1996 spill that remain exposed along the banks of the Makulapnit and Boac rivers.

Action 4. Develop and implement a strategy for dealing with the acid-generating mine wastes in the Mogpog River channel and adjacent floodplain.

Action 5. Develop and implement a strategy for dealing with unexposed tailings remaining in the Makulapnit and Boac Rivers.

Action 6. Develop and implement a strategy for dealing with unexposed tailings buried in the dredge channel at the mouth of the Boac River.