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[Free Theme-March] The contamination of the Mantaro River: A case that should never be repeated |
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by Anghy Aquino | 21-03-2022 12:10
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"Crystal-clear waters with lots of fish swimming and many species of birds flying around" This is how the Mantaro River used to be described by the locals before the tailings of irresponsible mining companies killed hundreds of animals and plants that lived in this river, considered one of the most important rivers in the Junin region of Peru.
 Mantaro River, obtained from https://riosdelplaneta.com/rio-mantaro/The history of the contamination of the Mantaro River dates back to the 1990s, a period when an environmental management system was practically non-existent in Peru, as there was not even a ministry of the environment. The environmental issue was not a priority for the Peruvian State, which at that time was fighting terrorism, to which they gave all their attention, leaving aside other major problems that Peru was also facing, among them the contamination of valuable water sources by foreign mining companies. The Mantaro River was home to a great variety of flora and fauna, including trout and wild ducks, which were seen in large numbers in the river, unlike today, when it is very difficult to find them. In addition, the Mantaro River was the main source of water for the irrigation of thousands of hectares of corn, potatoes, carrots, lima beans, etc. Many villagers even used to draw water from the river for their daily consumption, as the Mantaro River waters were very clean. Unfortunately, all this has been forgotten since the mining companies Doe Run, Morococha, Austra Duvas and many others began to use this important river as their drainage.  Mantaro River, the drainage of mining companies, obtained from http://contaminaciondelriomantaro.blogspot.com/  Mining companies contaminated Mantaro River, obtained from https://rpp.pe/peru/huancavelica/huancavelica-fiscalia-abrio-investigacion-a-doe-run-por-derrame-de-relave-minero-al-rio-mantaro-noticia-1208983?ref=rpp Thousands of liters of mine tailings were dumped every year into the Mantaro River before the indifferent eyes of the authorities. No one, absolutely no one acted against these environmental attacks. Neither the mine owners nor the authorities cared how much damage this could cause. And so it was that the Mantaro River began to slowly die before the helpless eyes of the villagers.  Contamination of the Mantaro River, obtained from http://contaminaciondelriomantaro.blogspot.com/ Valuable ecosystems lost, contaminated food that was irrigated with water containing dangerous heavy metals, and sick people were some of the consequences of the contamination of the Mantaro River by the mining tailings. Environmental crimes that no one paid for even after the creation of an environmental ministry in Peru in 2008 and that are gradually being forgotten and only remain in the memories of the oldest inhabitants. Many years have passed since those tragic events and mining has evolved greatly with respect to environmental issues. Environmental impact studies are now being carried out to prevent such events from happening again. However, this does not mean that such events no longer happen. Just a few years ago, there was a tailings spill from the Doe Run mining company in the Mantaro River, again affecting the few species that were returning to the river. Unlike in the past, the authorities did act this time and demanded immediate remediation of the damage caused. Another recent serious environmental attack is the Repsol oil spill in the Peruvian sea, which affected a lot of marine flora and fauna and fishermen. To date, work has been underway to remediate the damage.  “Thousands of liters of mine tailings contaminate the Mantaro river”, obtained from https://diariocorreo.pe/edicion/huancavelica/huancavelica-miles-litros-contaminacion-relaves-rio-mantaro-900034/?ref=dcr  Repsol oil spill, obtained from https://www.baenegocios.com/mundo/Peru-exige-a-Repsol-que-responda-por-derrame-de-petroleo-20220119-0070.html Despite the progress made, the above examples show that there is still a lot of work to be done on the environmental aspect in Peru. Companies and authorities need to make a real commitment to environmental protection. Companies should develop better environmental impact studies that contain detailed and effective contingency plans and the authorities should carry out exhaustive inspections and drastically sanction those who deserve it, only in this way will future environmental disasters be avoided and great changes will be achieved. Now, every time I travel to my town, I see the Mantaro River and sadly I can only imagine that majestic river full of fish, amphibians and birds that many people described with admiration and appreciation and that I will never get to see in its maximum splendor.  Mantaro River, obtained from https://rpp.pe/peru/junin/huancayo-contraloria-inspecciona-el-rio-mantaro-ante-posibles-desbordes-noticia-1038728 |
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Former E-gen Ambassador
Anghy Aquino
Previous : GENDER AND CLIMATE CHANGE (fre...
3 Comments
Hello Anghy, this is your mentor Chelwoon.
I cannot believe what the company have done. They must have known how much damage their work could cause. If a company happens to destroy the environment in the process of their work, they should come up with eco-friendly environmental measures like remediation of the damage they have done so that they can compensate for what they did just to get profit from it. Nowadays, ESG management is one of the most important global topics. I hope that the company will act based the ways of ESG management
Thank you for the article!
Regards,
Chelwoon
Posted 24-03-2022 01:12
Hello Anghy, this is your mentor Joon.
It is sad to see such examples of which water was contaminated by artificial causes. Water, especially fresh one, is very important resource which mother nature provided us. It provides a place for diverse organisms to live on. However, there are always such examples all around the world. Thank you for researching about the local, Peruvian, case of water contamination. Grasping its importance, people are now setting up rules and making up for previous mistakes, but there is far way to go.
Well read your article, and let's keep up!
Best,
Joon
Posted 23-03-2022 00:28
Thanks for your report Anghy, this is one of the saddest report I have read regards to water pollution. It is sad that most people just do their operations without considering how they might impact the environment and ecosystem.
Posted 21-03-2022 16:22