Green groups call for mining moratorium to mitigate El Niño impacts

Maasin Watershed dry spell.  The Maasin Watershed in Iloilo that supplies water to Iloilo City and six (6) adjacent municipalities for domestic, industrial and agricultural irrigation is now in critical condition.  Photo by Roslyn Arayata, ATM

February 25, 2010

Press Release

          Green groups call for mining moratorium to mitigate El Niño impacts 

MANILA, Philippines – Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an advocacy group on environmental and human rights issues and people’s movement composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide, calls for a moratorium on large-scale mining operations to mitigate El Niño impacts.

“The El Niño phenomenon has put watersheds in dry spell in different parts of our country. Mining is a water intensive industry and mining operations and/or tenements are located in watershed areas. Government must issue a moratorium on large-scale mining to mitigate El Niño impacts,” said ATM national coordinator Jaybee Garganera.

“Water conservation is not enough to mitigate El Niño impacts. Government must take strong actions that will give priority and support to the most vulnerable sectors in particular, Agriculture and Fisheries, which compete with the Mining industry for water and land,” said Garganera.

“Mining reduces water availability for domestic consumption, irrigation and power/energy use. Large-scale mining operations require tons of water on a daily basis. For example, 3,200 liters of water per ton of ore considering present grade levels is required to grind copper,” added Garganera.

“Mining worsens water quality. The track record of the mining industry shows that mine tailings waste pollution has contaminated at least 14 major river systems in our country, abandoned mines are now showing signs of acid mine drainage (AMD), which occurs when sulphide-bearing minerals in the rock are exposed to air and water, changing the sulphide to sulphuric acid that can devastate aquatic habitats," said Blas Tabaranza, Executive Director of the environmental group HARIBON.

“It is hypocritical for Government to call for water conservation during the water crisis while it relentless promote large-scale mining that squanders our water supply,” said Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) executive director Judy Pasimio.

“While most us buy expensive small amount of water in bottles, Government does not even charge mining companies a single peso for its daily tons of water use. Moreover, thanks to the Mining Act of 1995, water rights are given to mining contractors, wherein there are cases, that communities were deprived of their own water rights need for domestic consumption and water irrigation because of mining,” added Pasimio.

“Provinces presently in dry spell like Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, and Nueva Ecija, which host big mining operations will have better chances of coping with the water stress if mining moratorium will be immediately imposed,” said Divina Luz Lopez, national coordinator of the rural development organization PhilDHRRA.

“The Government already has the list of provinces highly vulnerable to El Niño. Most of these provinces significantly contribute to our country’s Agriculture and Fisheries sector such as Benguet, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Iloilo, Negros Occidental and South Cotabato.  To impose a mining moratorium in these areas in this time of crisis will send out a strong message that Government is smartly addressing the crisis to mitigate El Niño impacts, which will favor majority of the Filipino people and help the sector our economy highly depend on,” added Lopez.

ATM is convened by HARIBON, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC/FOEI) and Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA). (30)

For more information:

BlasTabaranza, HARIBON Exec. Director,  (0922) 815.20.21

Judy Pasimio, LRC Executive Director, (0917) 526.83.41

Divina Luz Lopez, PhilDHRRA national coordinator, lopez.jing@gmail.com

Jaybee Garganera, ATM Coordinator, (0915) 315.37.19, <nc@alyansatigilmina.net> 

Roslyn Arayata, ATM Policy & Advocacy Officer, (0917) 521.7937, <policy@alyansatigilmina.net>