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MINING:

A Threat to Mother Earth?


JOEDEL ROLLON LELIZA
Master of Science in Agriculture
What is MINING?

is the extraction of valuable minerals or


other geographical materials from the
earth, from an orebody, lode, vein
seam, reet or placer deposits which
forms the mineralized packaged of
economic interest to the miner.
SURFACE MINING

Mountain Top
Removal
Open-Pit Mining

Strip Mining
UNDERGROUND MINING
ORE RESERVES IN THE PHIL
IMPORTANCE OF MINING

Copper Ore Copper Wire

Iron Ore Steel


ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

The environmental impact of


mining includes erosion, formation
of sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, and
contamination of soil, groundwater
surface water by chemicals from
mining processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Metal extraction and processing can


cause environmental impacts
including wildlife and fisheries habitat
loss, changes in water quality,
sedimentation, toxins in tailings
ponds and effluent, acid generation,
dust, and slope (Ingelson et. al.,2009)
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
According to Cathal Doyle et. al. the
record of mining companies with
regard to environmental protection,
disaster and post-mining clean-up in
the Philippines is widely
acknowledged.

As of 2003, there had been at least 16


serious tailings dam failures in the
preceding 20 years. And over 800
abandoned mine sites have not been
cleaned-up.
WATER POLLUTION

Mining can have bad effects on


surrounding surface and ground
water if protective measures are not
taken. The result can be unnaturally
high concentrations of some
chemicals, such as arsenic, sulfuric
acid, and mercury over a significant
area of surface or subsurface.
WATER POLLUTION

A contaminated section of river near


the Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea
Photo by: Ian Campbell
WATER POLLUTION

Stream polluted with waste water runoff from


strip mining flowing into the Ohio River.
WATER POLLUTION
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
Acid rock drainage occurs naturally
within some environments as part of
the rock weathering process but is
exacerbated by large-scale earth
disturbances characteristic of mining
and other large construction
activities, usually within rocks
containing an abundance of sulfide
minerals.
WATER POLLUTION
Acid Mine Drainage in Portugal

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

“The implantation of a mine is a major


habitat modification”.

Destruction of the habitat is the main


component of biodiversity losses, but
direct poisoning caused by mine-
extracted material, and indirect
poisoning through food and water can
also affect animals, vegetals and
microorganisms.
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY

After

Before
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY

Bioaccumulation plays an important


role in polluted habitats: mining
impacts on biodiversity should be,
assuming that concentration levels
are not high enough to directly kill
exposed organisms, greater on the
species on top of the food chain
because of this phenomenon.
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY
Aquatic Organisms
Direct poisoning is the first one, and
risks are higher when contaminants
are mobile in the sediment or
bioavailable in the water.
Contaminants can also affect aquatic
organisms through physical
effects: streams with high
concentrations of suspended
sediment limit light, thus diminishing
algae biomass.
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY
Microorganisms
Algae communities are less diverse in
acidic water containing hig zinc
concentration, and mine drainage
stress decrease their primary
production.

Diatoms community is greatly modified


by any chemical change.
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY
Animals
Habitat destruction is one of the main
issue of mining activity. Huge areas
of natural habitat are destroyed
during mine construction and
exploitation, forcing animals to leave
the site.
Animals can be poisoned directly by
mine products and residuals.
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY
Animals
Bioaccumulation in the plants or the
smaller organisms they eat can also
lead to poisoning: horses, goats and
sheep are exposed in certain areas
to potentially toxic concentration
of copper and lead in grass.
EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY
Deforestation
With open cast mining the overburden,
which may be covered in forest, must
be removed before the mining can
commence.
Although the deforestation due to
mining may be small compared to
the total amount it may lead to
species extinction if there is a high
level of local endemism.
TAMPAKAN CASE
SMI –Waste engineers state on page 42 of
thier Appendix to the ESIA April 2011

“The mine has a high potential for loss of


life and high environmental damage if a
failure of the dams or waste rock storage
facility occurs”
Impacts of Mining
• Mining cannot be conducted without affecting the land,
water, and air surrounding the site, as well as the various
natural resources found in them.
• Mining involves the extraction of minerals, but may also
involve the use or destruction of non-mineral resources,
such as freshwater, timber, and wildlife.
 resulting in health problems, displacement of people,
social divisiveness, even the need to provide PNP and
AFP protection to mining companies.
 disasters that can happen from the cutting of trees, from
landslides, siltation and erosion, and accidents from
mining structures.
• All these translate into public costs which are borne mainly
by the poor. This is the social justice issue of mining.
Who are the Owners of the Tampakan project?

Located on the southern


Philippine island of Mindanao,
approximately 40 km. north of
General Santos City. The
Project is situated on the
boundaries of four provinces:
South Cotabato, Sarangani, The Tampakan Project is a 2.4 billion
Sultan Kudarat and Davao del metric ton deposit, containing 13.5
Sur, and represents one of the million metric tons of copper and
world’s largest undeveloped 15.8 million ounces of gold at a 0.3
copper-gold deposits in the % cut-off grade. The Project is
South East Asia - Western operated by Philippine-based
affiliate Sagittarius Mines, Inc. a joint
Pacific Region. venture between Xstrata Copper
and Indophil Resources.
What will happen?
• SMI will clear 3,935 hectares
of forest and arable lands
when it starts mining
operations,
• It will build its mine tailing
facilities near one of the
tributaries of Mal River, the
biggest river system in the
Tampakan-Columbio area.
 The mine life is expected to reach 70 years with more
than US$ 5.4B in needed investments.
 SMI has allegedly spent more than P10 billion already
for the exploration and other activities of the company
since 2000.
Who will be affected?
• More than 1,000 families, majority of
them belonging to the B’laan tribe,
will be displaced and relocated once
the company begins commercial
operations.

SMI promised to provide


scholarships, livelihood programs
and whatever it is that they need or
would help in their development.
The common perception of the B'laan community is that they would
not be affected by the operations. “As long as their ancestral lands
would not be affected, they were willing to support the mining
company as it provides incentives that the communities need.
Who will be affected?
• Damage to critical watersheds would leave
thousands of farmers and fishermen with no means
to earn a living. The mine development would
draw down the capacity of catchments that supply
drinking water and irrigation water to NIA irrigation
systems that sustain 200,000 hectares of
agricultural land for 80,000 farmers in South
Cotabato alone.

The Tampakan project estimates a water


requirement rate of 908 million liters per second.
Who will be affected?
• The mining project proposes to store 1.65 billion
tons of waste rock and 1.1 billion tons of tailings in
areas of high seismic activity. The open pit will not
be back filled and the billions of tons of acid
generating waste rocks and wet tailings will
require management in perpetuity.
“The Tampakan mine has a high potential for loss
of life and high environmental damage if a failure
of Dams or Rock Storage facilities occurs”. (Goodland
and Wick 2010)
What will be its impacts?
• If SMI is allowed to operate, it would
destroy the environment and
contaminate the river systems. It
would dry up the irrigation system in
the lowlands and the aquifers in
General Santos and nearby
Koronadal City (The Catholic Church in South
Cotabato).

 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:

(1) the environmental, social and


economic costs are accounted
for in evaluating mining projects;
(2) the country gets a full and fair
share of the value of the
extracted resources,
(3) the institutional capabilities of the government to evaluate and regulate
mining activities are put in place; and
(4) since mining uses up non-renewable natural capital, the money from
mining are specifically used to create new capital such as more
developed human resources and infrastructure, particularly in the rural
areas.
CONCLUSION
Doing nothing and a
business as usual approach Marinduque Mine Tailings at
to mining coupled with the Boac River (the river is dead
uncertainty of climate change until now)
will be an indictment of our
generation that our children
will never forgive.
“Without social change, climate
change will just worsen the
situation especially for the
vulnerable and the
marginalized”. Archbishop of Cagayan de
Oro Most Rev. Antonio J. Ledesma, J.J., D.D., CCCP
Lead Convener
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Science-based vulnerability mapping to
include the New Normal (climate change) in
the analysis. Marinduque Mine Tailings at
2. DENR with CCCP to revisit the EIA and EIS Boac River
guidelines to include WS analysis and
reporting systems not only in mining but all
projects that requires ECC.
3. Inclusion of Agriculture and Fisheries in the
mining industry study and analysis.
4. Food and water security should never be
compromised, our survival as a nation is at
stake.

THANK YOU!!!
REFERENCES
Cathal Doyle et. al. , Mining in the Philippines Concerns and
conflicts, Published Journal. 2007.

Belinda Espiritu, Article : The Destructive Impacts of Corporate


Mining in the Philippines: Tampacan Copper-Gold Mining
Project in Mindanao. 2013.

Allan Ingelson, William Holden, & Meriam Bravante, ‘Philippine


Environmental Impact Assessment, Mining and Genuine
Development’, 5/1 Law, Environment and Development Journal
(2009).

Esteban Godilano Ph.D. “To Mine or Not to Mine” The Case of


Tampakan Copper-Gold Project: Mindanao Philippnies

DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau

Wikipedia, 2016, Date Retrieved: January 21, 2016

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