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UNDERGROUND MINING
ORE RESERVES IN THE PHIL
IMPORTANCE OF MINING
Yellow boy in a
stream receiving acid
drainage from
surface coal mining
WATER POLLUTION
HEAVY METALS
• Dissolution and transport of metals
and heavy metals by run-off and
ground water is another example of
environmental problems, such as
the Tar Creek, an abandoned mining
area in Picher Oklahoma.
• Water in the mine containing dissolved
heavy metals such
as lead and cadmium leaked into
local groundwater, contaminating it.
WATER POLLUTION
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY
After
Before
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY
The mine areas are found atop the headwaters of all the big rivers that
drain into five provinces namely South Cotabato, Sarangani, Davao del
Sur, Sultan Kudarat, and Maguindanao, and the cities of General
Santos and Koronadal.
Any degradation in this region will potentially result in the increased
siltation of the rivers, a decrease in the water level and a high risk of
being contaminated by toxic materials coming from the mine operation
upstream (Catherine Abon, Geologist, UP NIGS).
What will be its impacts?
• Tampakan project will affect agricultural production and infrastructure
projects as the watershed serving the Mal River will be threatened. The
Mal River, supplies two major irrigation systems and 22 communal
irrigation systems covering 13,968 has. and involving 7,421 farmers.
SMI is planning to establish a tailing storage facility in Matanao straddling
1,018 has. that will serve as dumping site of mining wastes (Mindanews: 16
September 2010).
• Tampakan mining project is estimated to
produce 2.7 billion tons of mine wastes. Marinduque Mine Tailings Storage
The mine wastes will be stacked up to
300 meters high and will cover about
500 has., thus the Tampakan Copper
Gold Project is said to be “one of the
most dangerous mining projects in the
world”. (Clive Montgomery Wicks, conservation
and development consultant).
Impact areas in the watershed
Direct Impact
Direct impact area
within the watershed
totaled 271,175 has.
These are low lying
areas that are prone to
contamination including
the Liguasan Marsh.
The Catisan Allah
Watershed comprises
the largest area
covering 162,623 has.
or 60 percent of the A total of 696 km of rivers/stream length that could
total impacted areas be affected.
Padada River watershed: 259 km.
Marbel watershed: 95 km.
Catisan Allah River watershed: 342 km.
Land Use Impact
Within the mining claim area, 32 and 75 percent of the
agriculture lands and forested areas will be affected.
Original
Impact Mining
Land Uses
Areas Claim
(ha)
1. Forest 20,064 15,077
2. Agriculture 48,119 15,492
3. Mangrove 217 0
4. Fishponds 1,884 0
5. Marshland and 84,858 0
swamps
6. Lakes 9,417 0
7. Non Agriculture 5,707 6
(Grass land)
8. Built-up 1,097 14
Total 171,363 30,589
Climate Change Impact and Fault lines
SMI technical studies
on “climate and
meteorology” did not
include the impact of
climate change in the
analysis as this is not
included in the EIA
guidelines.
Original
Impact Mining In the case of flooding caused by climate
CC Impact Watershed
Areas Claim
1. Landslide 161,542 39,207 12,515
change and a breach of the controlled
2. Soil Erosion 159,961 16,156 3,912 structure in the mine area for affluent, the
3. Drought 68,206 37,234 0 total flooded area of 491,642 has. will be
4. Flooding 491,642 185,330 131 contaminated by 1.35 Bt of toxic material
5. Not Affected 158,822 27,411 14,031
including 250 Mt of high potential acid
Total 1,040,173 305,338 30,589
forming waste rocks.
Tampakan Mine Project-Risk
• Mine will damage forests in water
catchments, water supplies including
shallow aquifers, agricultural lands, fish
ponds, lake Buluan, marine resources and
increase risk flooding;
• The storage of 2.7 Billion tons of toxic
mine rock waste and tailings and a mine
void 800 meter deep with thousand of
gallons of toxic water in the water
catchment of 6 rivers and the source of
most of them is far too great a risk
Should mining be allowed in the
Philippines?
Mining should only be allowed when
four minimum conditions are met:
THANK YOU!!!
REFERENCES
Cathal Doyle et. al. , Mining in the Philippines Concerns and
conflicts, Published Journal. 2007.