by Gigi Dumallig

TABUK CITY, Kalinga, March 28  – Small scale miners here should shift to the use of environmentally friendly processes to prevent further pollution of river systems in the province due to the use of mercury in their mining practices.

This is the recommendation of Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) provincial officer Ricardo Dang-iw, engineer, concerning the latest findings that traces of mercury were found during a recent chemical sampling of the major waterways in the province.
 
Mining industries are now using carbon in pulp (CIP) extraction technique for recovery of gold which has been liberated into a cyanide solution as part of the gold cyanidation process. This should also be adopted in the province to get away from the use of mercury, Dang-iw said.

Because of its detrimental effect on health and the environment, the use of mercury is not allowed in mines. This is aside from the fact that most mercury sources are illegal and if produced, it is only allowed for pharmaceutical purposes, explained Dang-iw.

 “Mercury is not sold in stores and there are only a few identified regulated industries given the authority to sell this chemical,” he said.

 He said that local governments with mining operations in their localities should take action and help local miners to gradually adjust from their traditional mining practices to friendlier methods.

 “We have government agencies like the Mines and Geological Bureau (MGB) to assist them set up the new technical processes in local mines,” Dang-iw said suggesting that as a start, the local government units should already issue moratorium on the use of mercury for the miners to comply with the use of safer mining practices.

 Asked why not a total mercury ban, he said that the moratorium period will provide the small scale miners time to adjust and adopt the new technology so as not to disrupt their livelihood activities.


 He underscored the need for an immediate action from the concerned LGUs not only to protect the river ways but most especially the health of those directly in contact with said hazardous chemical during amalgamation and rode processes.

 A sizable income he said is useless if in the future, one ends up using it to just to stay alive from an incurable illness.
 Concerning the mercury traces, Dang-iw said that the EMB could not yet determine the extent of contamination since the sampling conducted last January was the first chemical testing in the province. He said that at least a series of water sampling is needed to do the comparison.

 He however emphasized that any traces of mercury in water ways should already cause an alarm for the community. It should be expected he said that a higher concentration is possible in the tributaries at the mining areas since the water sampling was conducted only in the lower river portion covered by the EMB test areas.
The province at present has two identified small scale mines located in the municipalities of Balbalan and Pasil.
Concerned with the findings, Tabuk City Mayor Ferdinand Tubban recently called the attention of the EMB to also furnish the local government of Tabuk a copy of the findings and recommendation for proper action of the LGU. Tabuk is dependent on the Chico River for its water source for its farm and household needs. (PIA CAR/Kalinga)