Mining in Davao Oriental halted after river siltation
MURKY The Mapagba River turns orange due to siltation from a mining pond upstream in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental. —PHOTO COURTESY OF RONIE MAPINOGOS JR./CONTRIBUTOR
DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Davao Region has ordered the closure of a mining operation in Davao Oriental province after an investigation showed that it caused the siltation and discoloration of two rivers in Banaybanay town.
In a statement, DENR Davao said it issued on Monday a cease-and-desist order (CDO) and a notice of violation (NOV) to Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corp./Arc Nickel Resources Inc.
It said the company was “involved in the recent siltation incident” in the Mapagba and Pintatagan rivers.
Heavy rains on Jan. 13 that lasted for over 12 hours dumped 88.1 millimeters of rainfall on Davao Oriental, according to the government weather bureau in Tagum City. Waters of the two rivers turned orange starting Jan. 14, prompting the DENR to start a probe.
“The potential source of siltation and discoloration along said rivers was attributed to the active mining activity of the said company,” the agency said, citing the findings of an initial investigation and assessment of a team composed of personnel from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office.
The Jan. 15 investigation found that the heavy and continuous rain “pushed overburden materials that contributed to the overflowing of the silt pond” that drained into the rivers, DENR Davao said.
Monitoring
The CDO was issued by the MGB while the NOV by the EMB.
The Inquirer tried to reach representatives of the mining firm but they did not respond to messages sent to their social media accounts.
Bagani Fidel Evasco, DENR Davao regional executive director, said the company was ordered to immediately address the issue.“Our legal team is also evaluating further action with regard to any of the violations and we will assure a strict implementation of the environmental laws. Penalties and fines are also being considered,” Evasco said.
The DENR said it would closely monitor the actions of the company together with local governments in the area.
“Irresponsible mining is unacceptable as it poses serious, long-term threats to communities and waterways,” Davao Oriental Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang said. “The preservation and conservation of the environment should come first above everything else.”
Dayanghirang said the MGB assured him that the company would not be allowed to resume operation until corrective measures were done and appropriate sanctions were imposed.
Earlier, Banaybanay Mayor Adalia Caballero Lopez told the Inquirer by phone that she would recommend the mining company’s closure if its operation proved to be detrimental to the lives of residents.
The MGB report said the heavy downpour last week resulted in siltation along the rivers in Pintatagan and Maputi, the two villages that formed part of the 6,363-hectare mineral production sharing agreements of Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corp. that spanned parts of Banaybanay and Pantukan in Davao de Oro.
Marbin Gesher Jay Deniega, a resident who joined a team who collected samples from the murky river, said environmental researchers were still awaiting test results of water samples they earlier sent to the laboratory to find out if the river contained traces of toxic heavy metals that could harm fish and other living things in the area.
Last month, the municipal government of Pantukan passed a resolution calling on the MGB to stop the activity of mining companies, which it claimed were building an access road to the mining area that resulted in the discoloration of water sources downstream.
