Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation
Dear Editor,
Tampakan Mine has a High potential for Loss of Life and High Environmental
damage if the Waste Rock Storage facility or the dams fail
Dr Robert Goodland and Clive Wicks, the authors of Philippines Mining or Food?, wish to respond to the 8th November article on the Tampakan mine by NONOY E. LACSON entitled “South Cotabato valley preservation”
We are amazed how SMI/Xstrata or Aecom can claim that the Tampakan mine will not have a negative impact on the water supplies of South Cotabato and that they claim the risks of the mine are low. The heading of this letter is taken directly from the SMI Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) in which the SMI Waste Management consultants, who designed the dams and waste rock storage facilities, warn that the risks are high (page 42 of their report).
We agree with SMI’s consultants. The proposed Tampakan mine is one of the most dangerous mines we have ever seen and the SMI/Xstrata engineers were right to warn about the dangers.
Dr Robert Goodland, the former Senior Environmental Advisor to the World Bank, and I have over 100 years experience of agriculture, environment, engineering and sustainable development between us. We are not against mining. We advise governments and civil society on the best way of working with extractive industries while promoting sustainable development. We visited the Tampakan area in 2009 with a Filipino Hydro Geologist and we were shocked to discover that the proposed SMI/Xstrata mine is in a vital water catchment that services three agricultural provinces.
The mine will not comply with the excellent Presidential Executive Order 23 of 1st Feb 2011, which places a moratorium on the cutting of all natural and residual forests to protect water catchments.
The mine is proposed in area of high seismic activity with a number of fault lines running through the mine site area some actually crossing others. Mount Matutum, a registered active volcano, is only 12 kilometres away. We don’t agree that SMI/Xstrata can build the dams and rock storage facilities to survive all the seismic activity and climate change. Tailings dams have failed all over the World including 16 in the Philippines killing people and causing massive damage. In July 1985 two Stava Mine dams in Italy collapsed killing 268 people.
There is every chance that the company will induce additional seismic activity by digging an 800 meter deep mine. The seismic activities, induced or not, will most likely damage or destroy the dams and waste rock storage and cause massive damage to people and agriculture sooner or later.
That the storage of 2.7 Billion tons of toxic mine rock waste and tailings will remain forever on top of a mountain with a mine void 800 meter deep with thousands of gallons of toxic water in the water catchment of 6 rivers is far too great a risk to take.
The Philippines needs more than ever to protect its water catchments if it is going to feed its expanding population, currently standing at 91 million and estimated to reach 130 million by 2030.
The South Cotabato Provincial government are absolutely right to maintain the ordinance against open cast mining to protect their future water resources and their economy which depends largely upon agriculture, fisheries and agribusiness.
We have serious concerns about the SMI Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and consider that the stakeholder and economic analysis, risk assessment and resettlement plans are badly flawed. However the ESIA does make it clear that 6 river catchments will be affected by the mine. It is not just the quantity but the quality of water that matters and pollution will ruin it.
Stakeholders. One of our biggest concerns is that Xstrata/SMI does not recognise the human rights of all stakeholders which must include all the people who depend on the 6 water catchments and lakes for their survival and livelihoods. They all need to give their approval before miner’s take control of their vital water resource.
Other comments
• Tampakan Mine will damage forests : SMI plan to clear 3,935 hectares of forest (including 1350 hectares of protected rainforest), water catchments, water supplies including shallow aquifers (only 30-100 meters deep), agricultural lands, fish ponds, Lake Buluan, marine resources and increase risk of flooding. 40,000 Muslims depend on fishing in Lake Buluan and any damage to their lake may destabilise the whole area.
Governments have to keep all remaining forests intact to protect their agricultural production and their people from climate change. Rainfall in South Cotabato is expected to decrease by 20% by 2030 but at the same time flash floods are becoming common in the Philippines.
· Hydrogeology of the Koronadal valley. Aecom claim that the water for South Cotabato comes mainly from Mount Matutum. The hydrogeology of Koronadal was studied by a team from DENR MGB in 2003 and their report is very clear on where the water comes from and that includes the whole Tampakan area.
· SMI claim that “we can capture polluted water and treat it”. It is not possible to capture all the polluted water in this volcanic area as much of the polluted water will simply disappear underground and reappear elsewhere.
• The Mal River will be the worst affected river. The source of its water will be very badly damaged by the two SMI dams which will be situated just above the (NIA) irrigation dam. The Mal River Basin in Davao del Sur is where most people will be killed if the dams fail.
• High risk of acid mine drainage from waste rock and tailings which also contain high levels of arsenic.
• Cancer - Toxic copper mine waste is associated with high levels of cancer in communities near to it. (See page 115, Philippines Mining or Food? )
• Human rights- It is a highly unstable area with a number of militant groups. Mining will increase friction and damage the human rights particularly those of its indigenous people but also many other stakeholders. People who oppose the mine are already being killed.
• Damage to government plans - Open cast mining will undermine current sustainable development, agricultural, fisheries and ecotourism plans.
• Moratoriums - All mining companies should respect the Moratoriums in place and cease all open cast mining activities.
Clive Wicks and Robert Goodland – are members of the London Working Group on Mining in the Philippines (WGMP-UK)
Working Group on Mining in the Philippines (WGMP - UK) Reports
Philippines - Concerns and Conflicts (2007) and Philippines - Mining or Food? (2010)
Photos Reports and Maps at launches
http://www.eccr.org.uk/module-htmlpages-display-pid-52.html
Philippines: Mining or Food? Abbreviated version http://www.piplinks.org/system/files/Mining+or+Food+Abbreviated.pdf
WGMP Members : Cathal Doyle, Irish Centre For Human Rights; Miles Litvinoff, ECCR; Frank Nally SSC, Columbans; Ellen Teague, Vocation for Justice, Columbans; Geoff Nettleton, PIPLinks; Andy Whitmore, PIPLinks; Clive Wicks, IUCN-CEESP. Consultant, Dr Robert Goodland.
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