[Free Theme - June] Two different versions of a major ecological disaster: The spill of 34 tons of zinc concentrate into the Chillón Riverby Anghy Aquino | 27-06-2022 16:15 |
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![]() Ecological disasters of great magnitude do not stop happening in Peru. Just when we thought that the worst one of the year 2022 would be the Repsol oil spill in the Peruvian sea that occurred in January and caused the death of hundreds of marine species and affected artisanal fishermen and tourism, we were wrong. Yet another ecological disaster has just occurred in Canta, a city located in the highlands of the Lima region.
On June 13, a truck belonging to the supplier Wari Services of the Volcan Mining Company carrying 34 tons of zinc concentrate overturned and dumped its entire load into the Chillón River, contaminating the water used by the people of Canta for daily consumption, agriculture, and livestock and killing more than 600 tons of trout from Canta's fish farms. This serious accident not only caused the death of many animals but is also threatening people's lives. The Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) issued an epidemiological alert not only in the province of Canta but also in the provinces of Carabayllo and San Martín, as they are also supplied by the waters of the Chillón River, and recommended not to go near the river, not to drink the water directly from it or give it to the animals, not to use the water for irrigation of crops, etc., as the health problems that could be caused by ingestion of zinc are very serious, including pancreatitis and gastritis. Truck accident. Chumpitaz, &O. (2022, June 16). Río Chillón: Fiscalía Ya Investiga a responsables del derrame de zinc. Últimas Noticias del Perú y el Mundo en larepublica.pe. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2022/06/16/canta-rio-chillon-fiscalia-ya-investiga-a-responsables-de-accidente-que-causo-derrame-de-zinc-truchas-minera-volcan/ ![]() Dead trout. Chumpitaz, &O. (2022, June 16). Río Chillón: Fiscalía Ya Investiga a responsables del derrame de zinc. Últimas Noticias del Perú y el Mundo en larepublica.pe. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2022/06/16/canta-rio-chillon-fiscalia-ya-investiga-a-responsables-de-accidente-que-causo-derrame-de-zinc-truchas-minera-volcan/ This environmental disaster has brought serious consequences, and we still do not know what consequences will be unleashed in the future. The only thing certain is that the struggle between the company and the population has begun, with both parties presenting different versions. On the one hand, the Volcan Mining Company, which belongs to the Glencore conglomerate, has issued several communiqués expressing regret for the accident and stating that it has been working with the subcontractor Wari Services to clean up the Chillón River. It also mentions the measures it is taking to mitigate the damage caused to the environment, including the implementation of its contingency plan, which includes the construction of dikes to contain and clean the sediments. It also mentions that they have reached compensation agreements with the affected trout producers and have completed the cleaning of their fish farms to guarantee the reactivation of their activities. Volcan also reports that the trace of spilled zinc is present in low proportions in the third affected fish farm. In its communiqués, Volcan always states its commitment to remediate the affected area and that it will spare no effort to achieve this goal, as it is its priority. ![]() Volcan communiqués. Volcan Compañía Minera | Linkedin. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://pe.linkedin.com/company/volcan-compa%C3%B1ia-minera ![]() Volcan employees. Volcan Compañía Minera | Linkedin. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://pe.linkedin.com/company/volcan-compa%C3%B1ia-minera On the other hand, the people of Canta express their dissatisfaction and disagreement with certain parts of the statements issued by Volcan, as they consider them to be false. According to some leaders of the Canta communities, the Volcan Mining Company has not reached compensation agreements with all the affected trout producers, only some. Furthermore, Elmer Páez, advisor to the Defense Front of the province, criticized the mining company for offering economic compensation only to trout producers and not to farmers, cattle ranchers, and tourism business owners who were also affected by the river pollution. Some trout producers also claim that Volcan has not cleaned up their fish farms. This information contrasts with what Volcan has said in its press releases. The people of Canta are tired and fed up with mining accidents. According to Elmer Páez, this is not the first time an ecological disaster has occurred in Canta. Counting this one, there have been three spills in only four years. This accident was the straw that broke the camel's back and has awakened the anger of the people of Canta, who will not tolerate any more abuses by the mining companies, which is why they decided to go on strike and block the Canta highway, demanding the presence of the President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo, in the province and action by the ministers of the environment, agriculture, energy and mines, health, and transport and communications. The people of Canta are angry and do not want to be made fun of with promises from the authorities and companies that are never fulfilled. ![]() Once again, a social conflict has broken out in my country due to mining. While we must recognize the great contribution of mining to Peru's economic growth in recent decades, we must also recognize that this extractive activity has generated many social conflicts and great damage to the environment. It is also well known that economic growth is not the same as economic development. Much of the money generated by mining has only served to fuel corruption in Peru and further enrich the already rich, while thousands of Peruvians sink into poverty and struggle every day to buy food. Unfortunately, this is a sad reality in my country, and it fills me with great indignation and impotence. Mining in Peru has been the source of numerous injustices (authorities who steal mining taxes, companies that pollute and destroy landscapes, etc.). All of this has provoked hostility and distrust of the Peruvian population towards mining. Many associate it with pollution, death, and destruction and not with economic development. As a result, many mining investments and projects have come to a standstill in Peru. The population was strongly opposed to mining. It is really sad that, because of irresponsible companies and corrupt authorities, mining companies that want to work properly pay and mining is demonized when it is supposed to be an activity that brings economic development and promotes sustainable development in a country. The amount of work that mining companies have to do to regain the trust of the Peruvian population that opposes mining is immense. However, everything is in their hands since they are the ones who have to demonstrate through good environmental and social practices their commitment to sustainable development, a commitment that sadly, many companies like Volcan only show on paper, as it turns out that the owner of the 34 tons of zinc that fell into the Chillón River is a repeat offender in environmental infractions, which is why the population of Canta, fed up with injustices and abuses, is taking severe measures such as blocking the Canta highway. Although Volcan has stated in its communiqués its commitment to remediate the affected area, it is very difficult to believe a company that, according to the OEFA (Organismo de Evaluación y Fiscalización Ambiental - Environmental Evaluation and Oversight Agency), has 225 accumulated infractions since 2010, most of which are due to having exceeded the maximum permissible limits for mining emissions, not having complied with environmental commitments or standards, and not having adopted environmental prevention and control measures. But not only that, Volcan has also tried to evade its fines generated by these infractions, which amount to more than 19 million soles (US $5 million) by judicializing them (taking them to a judicial process that generally lasts many years in order to delay as long as possible the payment of the fines or annul them). Unfortunately, Volcan's words and actions are not congruent. How can they expect the population to believe them again? They make it more and more difficult for the mining companies to regain the trust of the people and turn mining into a dirty and infamous business. ![]() Source: Procuraduría del OEFA For now, the only hope for reconciliation between the company and the population lies in the hands of the authorities (president, ministers of environment, agriculture, energy and mines, health, and transport and communications), who are expected to conduct a proper investigation to sanction those responsible for Canta's ecological disaster, supervise and monitor compliance with environmental remediation activities, and resolve the social conflict generated. One of the ministries that has already taken action and is demanding prompt environmental remediation and compensation for those affected is the Ministry of the Environment, which through OEFA has already conducted some monitoring of the affected area and has collected water samples from the Chillón River for analysis. According to the OEFA and taking as a reference the National Environmental Quality Standards for Water 2017, the results of the laboratory analysis of the samples collected at eleven points along the Chillón River show slight exceedance of the potential of hydrogen (pH) at three points, exceedance of total lead at two points, and no exceedance of total zinc or the remaining parameters. The Ministry of the Environment has promised to continue taking samples from the river in the coming months to monitor its status. We hope that it keeps its word, as the population no longer needs more promises or commitments, but rather actions. ![]() The spill of 34 tons of zinc into the Chillón River adds to the long list of ecological disasters that have occurred in Peru and further widens the gap between the companies and the population. It also demonstrates once again the huge gap between the promises and actions of the Peruvian mining industry, which has been responsible for many environmental attacks and social injustices in my country. I am not against mining, not at all! On the contrary, I support and promote it, but I do not support mining that destroys, I support mining that is responsible with the communities and the environment, mining that is committed to sustainable development and I applaud and congratulate several mining companies that are working towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Peru. That is the way all companies must work. Reference materials: Laura, R. (2022, June 19). Minera involucrada en derrame en el río chillón busca anular Multas por s/19,6 millones. Salud con lupa. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://saludconlupa.com/noticias/minera-involucrada-en-derrame-en-el-ro-chilln-busca-anular-multas-por-s196-millones/ Reytuerto. (2022, June 21). Alerta: Además de Canta, derrame de zinc Podría afectar a carabayllo y san martín: SPDA Actualidad Ambiental. SPDA Actualidad Ambiental |. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www.actualidadambiental.pe/alerta-ademas-de-canta-derrame-de-zinc-podria-afectar-a-carabayllo-y-san-martin/#:~:text=Tras%20siete%20d%C3%ADas%20despu%C3%A9s%20del,la%20salud%20de%20las%20personas. Chumpitaz, &O. (2022, June 23). "Protestas Seguirán Si Pedro Castillo no viene a Canta", Advierten Manifestantes. Últimas Noticias del Perú y el Mundo en larepublica.pe. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2022/06/23/canta-protestas-seguiran-si-pedro-castillo-no-viene-advierten-manifestantes-contaminacion-ambiental-protestas/ Volcan Compañía Minera | Linkedin. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://pe.linkedin.com/company/volcan-compa%C3%B1ia-minera Administrados Sancionados. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://publico.oefa.gob.pe/administrados-sancionados/#/ El Oefa comunica los resultados de análisis de muestras de agua del río chillón ante el derrame de concentrado de zinc. Gobierno del Perú. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www.gob.pe/institucion/oefa/noticias/626247-el-oefa-comunica-los-resultados-de-analisis-de-muestras-de-agua-del-rio-chillon-ante-el-derrame-de-concentrado-de-zinc |